Vehicle fire slows traffic along Route 8 in Penn Township Monday afternoon
Neither occupant of an industrial tanker truck was injured after the back of the tanker carrying liquid nitrogen caught fire on Monday, Sept. 30.
The tanker, which was operated by Air Products, came to rest along Pittsburgh Road/Route 8 in Penn Township, near the intersection with Renfrew Road.
The vehicle fire was reported at about 1:52 p.m., and the scene was cleared by 3:30 p.m. According to Jim Turner of the Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department, the fire was caused by faulty brakes on the truck.
“I believe the brakes caught fire, and that’s what set it off,” Turner said.
Despite the fire, no liquid nitrogen escaped the tanker. Fire departments from Penn Township and Butler Township responded to the scene.
Traffic was restricted to one lane along Pittsburgh Road, as first responders showed up to put out the fire.
