Milk Tanker Overturns on I-70
 
By PIO Douglas Alexander
May 20, 2015
 

On Wednesday May 20 at 0618 hours (6:18 am), MAVFC units were dispatched for a vehicle collision on EB I-70 at Exit 68 with a tank truck overturned and on fire. P-18 arrived first on the scene and reported a tractor trailer and a car involved in a collision with no fire and no one trapped. As additional units arrived, it was found that the trailer contained 6000 gallons of milk and was leaking rapidly into the median. Rescue 1 officer assumed the first command and passed it off to Chief 15 (New Market) upon his arrival. The accident was only several feet into Frederick County on eastbound I-70. The overturned trailer was blocking two lanes of eastbound I-70. Responding Fire and Rescue units took two lanes of westbound I-70. These lane closures caused major traffic back ups for several hours.

P-18 and A-159 (New Market) each transported a patient to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries. Additional resources were requested to the scene including Haz Mat units from Frederick County and Fort Detrick, Maryland Department of the Environment, Howard County DFRS Special Ops, Maryland State Police, and the towing company used by the truck owner. Contact was maintained with the local radio and television media updating them on traffic conditions and progress on mitigation of the incident. A dike was made in the median to contain the spilled milk and keep it from entering the storm drains. The remaining milk in the trailer was pumped off into an awaiting trailer to be removed from the scene so the overturned truck could be up righted. Units cleared the scene at approximately noon. There were no firefighter injuries reported and no civilian injuries except for the two drivers of the vehicles involved in the collision. All traffic lanes were cleared in the early afternoon hours.

 
Units: P18, R1, E12, Medic 1, U1-1
 
Mutual Aid: FRE153, FE152, FA159, FC15, FU15, FHM33, FHM50, FHMSU33, FS901, FA259, MDE, MSP, CHART, HCSO10,