SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – A tanker truck crash on I-90 outside Four Lakes led to an explosion that halted morning rush hour traffic. Spokane County Fire District 3 and other agencies responded swiftly to the chaotic scene.
Fire Chief Cody Rorbach emphasized the importance of preparation in handling such incidents. “All those agencies have training for events like that,” he said.
The crash unfolded as units were en route to a different scene. “They watched the truck and trailer lose control, slide off and then watch the explosion,” Rorbach stated.
The first priority was ensuring safety. “Begin to provide for life safety. For potentially the occupant of that vehicle but also the other traffic behind on 90,” Rorbach said. Interestingly, another truck involved in a separate, less serious collision helped secure the scene by blocking both lanes of eastbound I-90. “The other truck sees what happens… loses control and blocks both lanes of traffic on eastbound I-90,” Rorbach noted. This unexpected blockage may have prevented further danger. “Given the explosion and some of the contents in the event with the vehicle being treated as a hazmat scene yesterday, not knowing what the vehicle was carrying, probably a good thing,” Rorbach added. The scene was treated as a hazardous materials situation due to uncertainty about the tanker’s contents. “Trying to look, is there a placard on the vehicle to identify the contents? That’s one of the things that’s challenging given the explosion — no placards,” Rorbach explained. Without placards, crews had to rely on educated guesses, examining the vehicle type and flame color to infer the contents. “Then the responders – they’re trained to look at what type of vehicle it is and start to use deductive reasoning to determine… okay what type of contents are in this vehicle” Rorbach said. A significant breakthrough came when a firefighter found a notebook containing identifying documents. “Firefighters were able to get in and cool some of the perimeter of that scene they actually were fortunate to find a notebook, and within that notebook they found some identifying documents,” Rorbach reported. This discovery confirmed the truck was carrying a combination of gas and diesel fuel. Spokane County Fire District 3 and partner agencies managed to partially reopen the road within five hours. Rorbach stated this was a testament to the effective execution of duties by everyone involved.
