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Overturned Tractor Trailer, Suffolk (2003)

Due to a 30-inch gouge in this overturned tanker, responders had to burn off the propane inside using a flare stand. Though experts expected it to take two to three days to burn off the propane, VDEM Hazmat Officer Ray Haring's approach of burning propane in its liquid rather than gaseous state cut that time in half. Two heavy-duty tow trucks then lifted the propane rig and set it upright on the ramp.

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A traffic sign warns travelers of possible delays due to the accident. The overturned tractor trailer lays across the highway's side railing. Straps were connected to a crane to pull the tractor trailer up.
Equipment used by the hazmat officers in the response operation. A pipe was used to provide a controlled release point for flames as the liquid propane was burned off. A pipe was used to provide a controlled release point for flames as the liquid propane was burned off.
Flames from the burning liquid propane. The gash on the side of the tractor trailer.  

Photos by R.C. Powell, Virginia State Police