New details on gas tanker fire, but is anyone investigating?

FERRISBURGH, Vt. (WCAX) - WCAX News has learned new details about the natural gas tanker that caught fire last week in Addison County, but it’s not clear whether any Vermont agency is investigating and what’s being done to prevent similar incidents.

It happened on Route 7 near Dakin Road in Ferrisburgh last Thursday.

The driver of the tractor-trailer driver is lucky to be alive after another driver alerted them to sparks that led to an explosion.

According to Vermont State Police, the truck belonged to KAG Merchant Gas Group out of Pennsylvania. They didn’t respond when we reached out for a comment.

When we asked for more information on the investigation, state police told us this is a Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles case. The DMV told us it is a state police case.

This made us wonder what is being done to prevent accidents involving big rigs.

Thursday morning, there was a DMV enforcement check on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh just a few miles away from last week’s fire. The DMV says it was a planned, routine check. Three enforcement teams statewide do at least two checks per week.

Thursday, a big rig pulled in with smoke coming out the back of it.

The DMV says the goal of these checks is safety, to prevent and reduce commercial traffic crashes.

“When we are out here doing this, of course, it’s to remove the unsafe vehicles that are there, to try to reduce the heavy bus and truck crashes. But on the flip side, our federal partners are using all the data. They are watching it and going in at the carrier level,” DMV Enforcement Chief Adam Pockette said.

Because everyone is on a time crunch, Pockette says they try to make the stops as efficient as possible.

Related Story:

Natural gas tanker explodes on Rt. 7 in Ferrisburgh

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.