Propane Truck Crashes, Burns in Upstate NY

March 30, 2011

A tanker truck carrying 9,500 pounds of liquid propane exploded into flames after rolling over an embankment Monday on Route 7 in the Rensselaer County town of Hoosick.

The Record of Troy reports that the driver was flown to a hospital with a head injury. His name and condition weren’t released. Rensselaer County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jackie Fiore said the truck was owned by the Royersford, Pa.-based Venezia hauling company.

Monday afternoon, as the truck was still burning, emergency officials ordered the evacuation of all homes and businesses within a mile of the crash.

Hoosick Falls Police Chief Robert Ashe said the fire was fully involved and had spread from the truck to nearby woods.

Authorities have closed off Route 7 from Brunswick to Route 22 in Hoosick, 28 miles northeast of Albany.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a five-mile no-fly zone around the fire at the request of local officials.