Natrogas tanker drops load in Ellsworth

By Bill Kirk

The cause of a semi-tanker accident that closed Ellsworth's west business district to traffic for over 9 hours remained undetermined late last Wednesday.

The truck's tanker-trailer, loaded with 9,000 gallons of propane, separated from its tractor and dropped to the Main Street pavement in the one-vehicle mishap, reported at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. The contents were pumped into another tanker before the semi, owned by Natrogas of Minneapolis, was towed away and the street reopened to traffic shortly after 4:30 p.m.

At a meeting of Pierce County's Local Emergency Planning Committee the same day, Director Gary Brown said the latch between the tractor and trailer was examined by state patrol officials and found to be intact and operable. The tanker was traveling through the village on a trip that originated in Pine Bend, Minn.

The semi was headed east on the street, also designated Hwy. 10-63, when the incident occurred in the vicinity of Scottie's Bar. According to Brown, the semi driver stopped behind a school bus waiting to turn north at the Grant Street intersection. After the bus turned and the semi proceeded, the trailer disconnected and nosed into the street's cement surface. An eyewitness reported several motorists following behind the semi who'd also stopped soon turned their vehicles around and left in the opposite direction.

Firefighters sprayed water beneath the semi, which emitted a propane smell from its tank as hoses initially leaked. Brown said a safety valve inside the tank closed, preventing further leakage. A tow truck summoned to the site hoisted the tank, whereupon inspection showed the underside was sufficiently damaged to warrant pumping before moving.

Once the tank was in its raised position, any danger from the propane was largely over, Brown said. However, business owners within a 2-block area immediately adjacent to the scene were asked to curtail operations for the public during the pumping, but employees were able to stay.

A build-up of the leaked propane in area storm sewers was an initial concern for authorities. As for area residents, Pierce County Public Health Department Director Jane Bruggeman said at Wednesday's meeting her staff answered numerous calls inquiring about the potential health hazard.

M&I Bank-two blocks west of the scene-closed down for the day voluntarily, Brown said. The equipment called to do the pumping arrived around noon and the transfer was nearing completion by mid-afternoon, he said. Nancy Theis of Sonny's Bar and Restaurant-just west in the same block-said later in the afternoon she wondered if it was really necessary for the job to have taken as long as it did.

West end business was lost during the day, as traffic was detoured around the business district at Main Street's intersection with Maple Street (Hwy. 65) from the west and at its intersection with Beulah Street, near SuperAmerica, from the east. Police tape was stretched around buildings and accessways surrounding the scene.

Local police and sheriff's officers, along with Ellsworth Fire Department and Ellsworth Ambulance Service personnel, responded to the scene and many remained throughout the day.