by Bea Peterson
Route 7, from Babcock Lake Road to Route 22, was closed Monday, March 28, as a result of an accident involving a tractor trailer containing 9,500 pounds of combustible liquid propane. About 12:30 pm Monday John N. Makria of West Islip, NY, a contract driver for Venezia Liquid Tank Lines Inc. out of Pottstown, PA, lost control of his truck, and it crashed through guardrails, knocked down power poles, rolled down an embankment into Tibbitts State Forest and caught fire. The accident occurred just west of the Man of Kent Tavern & Café. Makria was found outside the truck, minus shoes. He was treated by the Hoosick Rescue Squad and brought by ambulance to the Squad House in Hoosick Falls, then airlifted to Albany Medical Center. He is still in the hospital with head injuries and is currently under observation. No one else was injured in the accident.
Evacuation
Approximately 100 homes and businesses within a one mile radius of the accident were ordered to evacuate immediately. A no fly zone over the accident site was established. The Red Cross set up shelters at the Pittstown Ambulance Squad in Johnsonville and the Hoosick Baptist Church in Hoosick, but no one took advantage of them. Many homes in the area did not have telephone service or electricity.
A Five County Response
Firefighters and equipment from Albany, Berkshire, Columbia, Rensselaer and Washington Counties responded to the scene. The Rensselaer County Command Center was set up at Bloom ‘n’ Art,
about a mile from the burning propane. “We’re grateful to the owners of Bloom ‘n’ Art for giving us such a convenient place to set up,” said Hoosick Fire Chief Bill Rifenburgh.
Not far from the Command Center fire department tanker trucks lined Route 7 to ensure a constant supply of water. Remote hoses were set up across the road from the flaming truck to keep a continuous cooling spray cascading onto the burning tanker.
Other firefighters and fire police were rerouting traffic at the Hoosick intersection, at the junction of Routes 7 and 22 and at Route 278.
Fire Departments on the scene included Hoosick, West Hoosick, Petersburgh, Pittstown, Hoags Corners, Melrose, Berlin, Poestenkill, South Schodack, Raymertown, Defreestville, Center Brunswick, Eagle Mills, Johnsonville, North
Hoosick, Easton, Hancock, MA, Coeymans Hollow, Selkirk, Shushan, Cambridge, Speigletown, Hoosic Valley, Lebanon, Schodack Landing, Schodack Valley, West Sand Lake and Clinton Heights. The Town of Hoosick Rescue Squad and Mohawk Ambulance were also on site. Chief Rifenburgh said other responding agencies included the Rensselaer County Sheriff, NYS Police, Hoosick Falls Police, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, NYS Office of Fire Prevention, Rensselaer County Public Safety, the Rensselaer County HazMat team and the NYS Department of Transportation.
Community Support
Food and drinks began arriving at the Hoosick Fire House from businesses and individuals. Caroline Boardman of the Red Cross said they served 195 meals in the first 24 hours. Many of them were delivered by the Rensselaer County Department for the Aging van. The State Highway Garage on Spicer Road was opened as a rest area for tired firefighters. Those contributing food and beverages included Mahar Funeral Home, the Restino family, Marianne Zwicklbauer, Big Moose Deli, Olde Firehouse Restaurant, Pizza Bella, Bianca’s Pizza, Christine Still, Lori Kempf, Julie Richard, the Falls Diner, St. Mary’s Academy, The Eagles Club, Gail Delurey, Lester Goodermote, Trustco Bank Headquarters-Schenectady, the family of Cyril Grant, Gail Rifenburgh and Barbecue Recreation.
Long Burn
Monday night The NYS Police Bomb Squad used its robot camera to get a closer
look at the burning propane. The fire was expected to burn for days. Early Tuesday fire companies began taking shifts to keep water flowing on the tanker. At one point the propane fire went out, but the vapor leak continued. A decision was made to reignite the vapor and by afternoon enough had burned off that the fear of an explosion diminished. At six o’clock Tuesday evening the evacuation order was lifted except for those along Route 7 from Route 22 west to Fox Hollow Road. Route 7 remained closed as well.
Early Wednesday morning a fire, a result of the propane accident, ignited in Tibbitts Forest and was quickly extinguished. Around 10:30 crews arrived to begin removal of the tractor trailer. About an acre around the truck was burned and the trees were heavy with thick white ice from the water sprays as nighttime temperatures dipped into the low 20s. DEC Forest Ranger Joe Hess, who was on the scene, said there was no damage to the brook just below where the tractor trailer landed.
The burned cab and frame were hauled up the embankment and put on a truck.
Heavy chains were placed around the tank and it’s orientation was shifted so the leaking end was pointed downhill. This allowed the remaining 200 or so pounds of propane to drain to the end of the tank. The vapor was still burning. Next a huge hose was set up with a heater to blow warm air on the tank so that remaining propane would expand and burn.
Road Reopened
At 4 pm Wednesday Rensselaer County Sheriff Jack Mahar announced the propane tanker fire had been extinguished. He said the truck’s cab, assorted wreckage and debris were removed earlier in the day. Wednesday evening the Sheriff’s Office oversaw the removal of the tank portion of the truck. Later the NYS Department of Transportation replaced the section of guard railing that was damaged and Route 7 reopened Wednesday night around 8 pm.
Investigation Ongoing
The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to conduct a thorough investigation of the accident and charges could be pending. Sheriff Mahar said they are in the process of interviewing a primary witness, and they hope to locate other possible witnesses. If anyone has any further information, they are asked to contact the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office at 518-270-5448.
Learning From Experience
The accident had the potential to be a huge disaster. Fears were expressed that it was not a matter of if the propane would explode, but when. Fortunately, training, technology and experience averted such an incident. Berlin residents might say 49 years makes a big difference. They had no evacuation time in July of 1962 when a propane truck went off the Plank Road and sent a ball of fire roaring through a section of the town wiping out houses, the Baptist Church, killing ten people and injuring many more. No doubt the accident in Hoosick brought back painful memories for many.
