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Maryland tanker truck crash catches homes on fire, driver dead

Mar 9, 2023

FREDERICK, Maryland: Maryland authorities have said that a tanker truck carrying a flammable liquid crashed on a Maryland highway over the weekend and caught fire, killing its driver and setting several homes and vehicles on fire.

The truck crashed on US 15 in Frederick, west of Baltimore.

During a news conference, Frederick Fire Chief Tom Coe said that after receiving several emergency calls, fire crews arrived within minutes and found the truck engulfed in fire, along with three homes and automobiles.

One of those homes was extensively damaged, displacing the residents. The other two sustained minor damage, while the tanker driver, who was not identified, died, but no other injuries were reported, Coe added.

The chain of events that led to the crash is under investigation, authorities said.

Officials are also trying to determine the substance the tanker was carrying, Coe said, adding that it was thought to be a commonly transported flammable liquid, such as gasoline or diesel fuel.

Crews will be monitoring the air quality and isolating and cleaning the area where the liquid saturated the soil, he noted.

The State Highway Administration said the crash initially closed US 15, which runs through the city of some 80,000 people.

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