NORTHPORT — A propane delivery driver had to be extricated from his vehicle, Thursday morning, June 29, prompting a multi-hour response from Northport Volunteer Fire Department, Belfast Fire and EMS, and other agencies.

For well over eight hours, beginning with the 6:42 a.m. alert to responders, a stretch of Route 1 between Northport and Belfast was reduced to one lane as crews first extricated the driver from the rig, which landed on its side in the soft ground next to the pavement.

Because the Irving Oil truck was a LPG tanker, firefighters dropped absorbable chemical rags around the vehicle as a way to determine what chemical may have leaked. Usually, the rags will turn a specific color dedicated to a specific chemical. In this case, the rags remained white, indicating an absence of leaked chemical, according to Belfast Fire Chief Patrick Richard. Still, Maine Department of Protection performed their own assessment, coming up with the same results. The contents of the tank were then transferred to another tanker and no spillage of any hazardous materials occurred. 

“Crews from Belfast and Northport worked together seamlessly to stabilize the incident and treat the operator,” said Belfast Fire and EMS.

Helping with the recovery effort were Central Maine Power, Maine DEP, Maine State Police, Maine Department of Transportation, Irving Oil, and Bouchard Towing.

“These scenes can take many hours and cause aggravating delays for motorists, but in the end the results are positive,” said Belfast. “Great job everyone!”

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com