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Truck Fire With Bleve of 55 Gallon Drum

This article is a direct street report from our correspondent and has not been edited by the 1st Responder newsroom.

The Rhinebeck fire department responded for a truck fire in the vicinity of 2971 Route 9G at approximately 10:32 AM. The truck was fully involved in fire upon arrival and an additional tanker was requested from West Clinton fire department. The truck is owned by Bottini Fuel and was a service type vehicle that was carrying three 55 gallon drums of oil additive used in conjunction with heating oil.

The heavy volume of fire was impinging on the drums and caused one to rupture sending a ball of fire 100 feet skyward. Twenty-five firefighters, under the command of Chief Kevin Asher, using hose streams initially to darken the fire and cool the remaining drums, then used foam to completely extinguish the fire and cool the remains of the truck and it's contents in a blanket of foam. The fire was under control in 20 minutes, with overhaul operations requiring an additional hour to fully extinguish the fire.

The vehicle was occupied by driver Edward J. Ash, 72, and co-worker Nicholas Polemeni, 20. The driver began having mechanical problems with his diesel powered truck and noticed smoke coming from the vehicle exhaust before realizing the truck was on fire.

There were no injuries to firefighters or vehicle occupants. The Rhinebeck Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the West Clinton Fire Department, Northern Dutchess Paramedics, NY State Police, the Dutchess County Cause and Origin Team, and the NYS DEC. Bottini Fuel had management personnel on scene to assist if needed.

Route 9G was closed between Slate Quarry Road and Wurtemberg Road with traffic detoured by fire police until 4 PM

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HENRY CAMPBELLSenior Correspondent

No information from the author.