FERRISBURGH, Vt. (WCAX) – The Vermont DMV says part of Route 7 in Ferrisburgh was shut down Monday afternoon after a tractor-trailer carrying compressed gas caught fire and exploded.
It happened shortly before 3 p.m. near the junction of Greenbush Road.
The blast caused a nearby building to also catch fire.
”I saw like a big flame… I heard a couple of kabooms, then I see firefighters just going,” said Ismail Hassan, visiting from Massachusetts. Hassan was on his way to New Jersey when he saw the flames and got stuck.
“It took me an hour to drive home from Vergennes and then I had to walk the last bit because the road was totally closed,” said David Rampone of Ferrisburgh.
The driver of the truck, Mark Laflam, 64, of St. Albans, was taken to the hospital. We don’t know the extent of his injuries.
Authorities say the truck tractor is owned by KAG Merchant Gas Group in Canton, Ohio. The trailer is owned by NG Advantage LLC in Colchester, Vermont. Both the tractor and the trailer were destroyed.
The fire happened in nearly the same location as the natural gas tanker explosion near Dakin Road on Route 7 last year.
The blast caused a nearby building to catch fire, and the fire took out the electricity to residents in the surrounding area. “We’re without power right now, and we’re told we wouldn’t have power for at least the night, and it’s over 90 degrees so it’s going to be a hot night,” said Rampone.
Route 7 was closed from Greenbush Road to Dakin Road for several hours. It reopened to one lane Monday evening and fully opened early Tuesday morning.