BELGRADE — A wall of flames greeted firefighters responding to a crash on Route 27 Wednesday morning.

The drivers of a fuel tanker truck and sport utility vehicle were injured in the accident that led to the truck catching fire and exploding, shutting down a portion of the road, and forcing the evacuation of the local post office and nearby homes.

The accident occurred between the Belgrade Post office and Belgrade Canoe and Kayak — at the intersection of Augusta Road, which is also Route 27, and Depot Road, also known as Route 8 and 11 — around 8:45 a.m.

Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said in a news release that the tanker truck was hauling 9,500 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil and was engulfed in flames.

He said the SUV was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection and its driver drove in front of the oncoming tractor-trailer, which police said was headed north. The 2005 GMC Yukon struck the tanker truck, which overturned and caught on fire.

Firefighters arriving at the scene reported the truck was fully involved in fire, with the flames spreading along the roadway.

“It was a wall of flames,” Belgrade Chief Dan Mackenzie said of what firefighters encountered as they arrived on scene.

He said it was unlike any accident he had responded to in his 30-odd years as a firefighter.


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