Friday, April 3, 2015

TWO HOMES REMAIN EVACUATED IN SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA AFTER THURSDAY ETHANOL TANKER CRASH WHEN ABOUT 3.500 TO 4,000 GALLONS LEAKED FROM THE TANKER ONTO THE GROUND AND SURROUNDING AREAS




FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015

SALISBURY, NORTH CAROLINA

Two homes remain evacuated following Thursday’s ethanol spill at Bringle Ferry Road, officials said.

A tanker carrying the highly flammable material crashed, killing the driver, James Richard Sechler, 62, and resulting in a daylong clean up effort.
Because of the proximity to a drinking water well at one of the homes, remediation company personnel recommended the two families not return to their homes just yet, said Frank Thomason, chief of emergency services.

The accident happened at 6:47 a.m. after the driver ran off the road, lost control of the tractor trailer and overturned. A portion of Bringle Ferry Road was closed near Surratt and Panther Creek roads. The area was shutdown much of Thursday until crews could contain and then remove the ethanol.

Sechler was with Eco-Systems, a company based in Franklin, Tenn. He’d just left a fueling station in Denton before the crash. There were about 75 people from 14 agencies who responded to the scene, including local and regional haz mat teams, fire and other emergency personnel.

Trooper J.G. Leonard told a Post reporter on Thursday that investigators with the N.C. Highway Patrol were not able to determine an immediate cause of the crash. He said officials will await a report from the medical examiner.

The forced evacuation of the immediate area was due to  fire and explosion hazard concerns from the tanker, which was carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol, Thomason said.

He added that about 3.500 to 4,000 gallons leaked from the tanker onto the ground and surrounding areas, but did not reach a nearby creek as earlier reported.

“Due to the closeness of the drinking well water at one of the residences, which also provides water to the second home, a decision was reached with cooperation of the residents and property owners for them not to return to their residences at this time,” Thomasons said.

Officials with the trucking company, Eco-Systems, along with the remediation company, Hepaco, are working diligently and closely with the residents for their safety and that of their property.

Thomason said over the next several days, clean-up crews will be removing the remaining spilled material and performing tests on the well to ensure its safety.
Eco-Systems is working to place the residents in a local hotel and take care of any other immediate needs during the clean up process and completion of the well testing.


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DRIVER KILLED, AREA EVACUATED AFTER TANKER OVERTURNS ON BRINGLE FERRY ROAD IN SALISBURY, NC

THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015

UPDATE: Officials have not released the name of the driver of the tractor trailer that overturned on Bringle Ferry Road. According to N.C. Highway Patrol Trooper J.G. Leonard, officials haven’t been able to give notification to the family as of yet, he said.

The driver was the only one in the truck, Leonard confirmed.

The N.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the crash, but because of the fuel spill they have not been able to begin an in-depth investigation. Contributing circumstances to the crash have not yet been determined.

Leonard said officials at the scene say they’ll need to await the arrival of another truck to pump out the remaining fuel before the tractor trailer can be righted. The driver is still inside the cab of the tractor trailer.

10:50: Emergency crews continue to clean up after a tanker rolled over on Bringle Ferry Road.

The driver of the tanker was killed in the accident, but his body is still inside the truck because crews have to clean up the ethanol spill and roll the tanker over before they can remove the body.

The name of the driver has not been released. Officials said he was with Ecosystems out of Franklin, Tenn.

The scene is in the area of 11510 Bring Ferry Road, which is near Panther Creek Road not far west from the Pooletown area. A portion of the road is blocked off as crews continue to work.

According to a release from the N.C. Department of Public Safety, the tanker was carrying 6,000 gallons — earlier reports said 8,000 — of ethanol when it rolled over around 6:45 a.m. causing a leak. A small number, three or four, of homes in the area had to be evacuated due to the spill. But officials said no residents were harmed.

The scene is now considered safe, officials said. The leak has been contained, but emergency crews will be at the scene all day cleaning up.
Officials said the concern early on was that an explosion could happen because ethanol is highly flammable.

The tanker was coming from a fueling terminal in Denton when it ran off the road and overturned on the driver’s side.

There are 14 agencies on the scene totaling 75 personnel. Haz-Mat teams from Rowan, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Davidson counties have responded to the scene.

10:35:  Additional manpower has been called to the scene to assist with the cleanup.

The driver of a tanker truck carrying ethanol died this morning when his truck overturned on Bringle Ferry Road, according to media reports.

The area in the 11000 block of Bringle Ferry, near Panther Point, was being evacuated as Haz Mat teams dealt with the highly flammable substance.
The tanker was carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol.

Officials at the scene said the driver was trapped inside; rescuers were not able to reach him due to the fire risk.
Source: http://www.salisburypost.com