LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas authorities responded to an early morning crash on Wednesday that involved a tanker truck.
The Nevada Highway Patrol says the truck overturned on U.S. 95 at Decatur Boulevard before 5 a.m. with traffic being diverted at the scene.
#TrafficAlert US95/Decatur Blvd. Overturned tanker truck carrying gasoline. US95 closed in both directions. Expect major delays and avoid the area. #DriveSafeNV #LivesAreOnTheLine #NHPSoComm
— NHP Southern Command (@NHPSouthernComm) September 1, 2021
All lanes of traffic were closed due to the overturned truck with drivers being pushed off the highway starting at Rancho Drive for those traveling south and Jones Boulevard for those traveling north on U.S. 95.
#BREAKING: Per @NHPSouthernComm there's a overturned tanker truck carrying gasoline. US95 is closed in both directions. You should avoid this area! Expect major delays on your morning commute. I'm LIVE next on #GMLV w/updates @KTNV pic.twitter.com/Zc4KFheLkC
— Alicia Pattillo (@aliciapattillo) September 1, 2021
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue units were also assisting with the incident as fuel is on the roadway from the overturned truck.
@LasVegasFD HAZMAT team on scene with tanker that rolled onto its side, situation is under control, this operation will be here several hours, no injuries reported #PIO1NEWS pic.twitter.com/RZWqVuqBle
— Las Vegas FireRescue (@LasVegasFD) September 1, 2021
CURRENT LAS VEGAS TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
Authorities say the road closures were going to last for several hours.
Crews were able to clean up the fuel spill and get the truck upright before 1 p.m. along with reopening northbound travel lanes.
1PM UPDATE: Truck upright, clean up begins, probably one hour, southbound US95 NOW OPEN to traffic. #PIO1NEWS pic.twitter.com/HSBUC1Nloj
— Las Vegas FireRescue (@LasVegasFD) September 1, 2021
A view from the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada traffic cameras on U.S. 95 near Rancho Drive showed all travel lanes reopened just after 2 p.m.
While there were no injuries, the biggest concern was the hazardous materials that spilled, which could have led to devastating results.
"It’s not the gasoline that burns. It’s the vapors from the gasoline that burn," explained Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Public Information Officer Timothy R. Szymanski. "Because that truck is empty and has residual gasoline in it, it will be extremely flammable. A flash fire is possible. It would be very fast and very hot."
13 Action News spoke with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy and they told us this spill wouldn’t impact our gas supply or prices. Most of the gas was saved by transferring it to another tanker.
"It’s definitely a hazardous material and that’s a concern. We have crews who specialize in this sort of clean-up," said Southern Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Travis Smaka. "They have been doing a good job this morning trying to get everything cleaned up safely. Gasoline is very combustible so we had to take safety measures and close the U.S. 95 in both directions."
Neither driver involved was taken to the hospital and authorities say both are okay. The BMW did have some damage.
"I haven’t gotten a close look at it but it did require a tow truck to remove it from the scene," Smaka said.
Crews have to take their time when offloading gas to another tanker. It’s not a process that you can rush.
Between the offloading, the towing and the cleanup, the crash scene took more than eight hours to clear.
