MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Middletown fire crews faced a precarious situation Wednesday morning after a garbage truck carrying natural gas caught fire.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. when the driver of the truck noticed something was "wrong" and called 911.
When the truck caught fire, it was carrying over 800 pounds of compressed natural gas, officials said.
The whole truck was eventually consumed with the primary concern being the natural gas on board.
The truck was parked in a parking lot on Main Street Ext. across the street from Ridge Road and Henry Clay Work Park. Officials said it was safer for firefighters and the community to let the fire burn instead of dousing the flames on top of gas.
“Free-flowing gas is actually more of a hazard to the public than one that’s on fire," said Lt. Wade Moss with the South Fire District. "[...] What we’re trying to do is cool the tanks to prevent what’s called a bleve, which is a boiling liquid explosion inside the tank and caused the tank to over pressurize and that’s extremely bad.”
The fire burned itself out quickly, officials said. Firefighters worked to make sure the flames did not spread to nearby buildings.
Workers in the adjacent buildings were asked to work from home Wednesday as crews continue to douse hot spots and clean up the truck and garbage.
Officials said there is no threat to the community and no injuries were reported.
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Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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