Read more: Local, State, Environment, Burning Gasoline Tanker Sr 2, State Route 2 Ottawa County, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ottawa County Gasoline Tanker Burning, Erie Township Fire Department
OTTAWA COUNTY -- A burning gasoline tanker closed a portion of SR 2 in Ottawa County early Friday morning as crews allowed the fire to burn itself out.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a Freightliner Truck driven by Jason C. Uhlman, 29, of Bowling Green, was eastbound on SR 2, just west of Tettau Road, around 3:35 a.m. when it went off the right side of the road, striking a ditch. The truck, carrying approximately 8,500 gallons of gasoline, then struck a driveway culvert and overturned. After striking a utility pole, the truck's gasoline tanker ruptured. The fuel inside the tanker caught on fire.
Uhlman, who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, was able to escape the burning truck by crawling out the cab's back window.
Officials with the Erie Township Fire Department determined it was best to allow the gasoline in the tanker to burn itself due to the environmental hazards associated with it.
All lanes of SR 2 were reopened as of 3:40 p.m. Friday.
The crash remains under investigation. No citations have been issued.
