PALMER -- A fuel tanker flipped near the interchange of the Parks and Glenn highways Friday afternoon in a fiery accident that diverted traffic headed to the Alaska State Fair in Palmer.
No one was injured but more than 6,000 gallons of gasoline spilled and burned, authorities say.
The fire started around 12:15 p.m. after a tire blew as the Fisher's Fuel truck rounded a curve on the Palmer off ramp, according to Brittany Lais, a manager at the company's Big Lake office. The truck was carrying 10,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline, she said.
The rear trailer rolled over and caught fire, Lais said. The company doesn't yet know what caused the accident.
The driver followed protocol and immediately detached his truck and the first attached tanker and drove it a distance away from the rear tanker, she said. He was unhurt but "pretty shaken up."
The tank began venting its load of 6,200 gallons of gasoline, officials say.
Scores of Matanuska-Susitna Borough emergency crews stayed back initially to let the fuel escape, then started spraying foam on the fire. The fire was extinguished around 2 p.m.
The off-ramp, however, was expected to remain closed until the state can make sure it's safe, Mat-Su officials said. A representative from the Alaska Department of Transportation was determining the integrity of the road prior to allowing access to the tow truck and cleanup equipment, according to an afternoon update from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Traffic on the Parks Highway continued to flow even in the midst of the response though vehicles slowed as passengers shot photos and video of the fiery scene.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation says it will request Fisher's Fuel submit a cleanup plan to make sure cleanup meets state standards.