Tanker truck spills flammable solution through multiple Allegheny County communities

EAST MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Officials told Channel 11 News that the driver of a tanker forgot to close the lid, resulting in a trail of a highly flammable solution as they drove miles from Wilmerding to McKeesport.

While homes and nearby businesses weren’t evacuated, officials indicated that this could have been a very dangerous situation. “Highly flammable,” said Merle “Bud” Pusey, Assistant Chief of the Wilmerding Volunteer Fire Department.

Pusey explained, “He forgot to put the cap on his load, so he dumped a fuel solvent from Wilmerding to approximately where we are here in North Versailles.” According to local officials, the driver began their trip in Wilmerding, near the Patton Street Bridge area, traveled through McKeesport, and finally stopped near 5th Avenue in North Versailles.

“He was stopping, and the liquid was sloshing in the open container. Any time he applied the brakes, it would slosh and spray everywhere,” Pusey added. The liquid that leaked from the truck is a solvent used in the production of diesel fuel and can be highly flammable, potentially causing skin irritation upon contact.

Fortunately, someone noticed the situation and called emergency responders. County public works, fire, police, and EMS units were dispatched, and the flow of the liquid was stopped, allowing cleanup to begin.

Channel 11 News spoke with Rob Bradsch, the owner of a nearby pizza shop, who captured the ordeal on his surveillance camera. “It looked like a geyser from Yosemite National Park coming up off the truck,” he said. “I would have been soaked if I had been standing outside; I would have been drenched in whatever that was.”

While Bradsch is grateful he wasn’t outside during the incident, he does have concerns and questions how the driver didn’t notice the problem sooner. “If you didn’t check your mirrors during that whole time, how do you have a license?” he questioned.

Officials have confirmed that, at this time, there is no known safety concern for the public.

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