Fatal MA Tanker Rollover Sparks Evacuations

A tractor-trailer truck driver has died and the tanker unit he was hauling is leaking methane gas alongside Route 2 in Orange, authorities said earlier, and officials are deciding whether to pump the remaining methane from the rig or burn it off in place.

The Massachusetts State Police said the driver of the rig died of injuries as his tractor-trailer rig rolled over near Exit 14 on Route 2 at about 9:30 p.m. Friday night.

The state Department of Environmental Protection was notified of the incident and the release of methane. It triggered a Tier 2 response and troopers, Orange police officers and firefighters began evacuating residents near Route 2 and West River Road from their homes.

All traffic on both lanes of Route 2 has been shut down between Exits 13 and 15 as officials decide how to deal with methane remaining in the tank unit. As of early Saturday, authorities were deciding whether to pump the remaining methane out to another tank or simply burning it in place.

Police indicate that how long the road will be closed is dependant on how the highly flammable methane is extracted from the tank trailer unit.

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