The Shadow
FINCASTLE — The northbound lane of U.S. Route 220 in Botetourt County was heavily damaged Wednesday morning when a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline crashed and exploded.
The crash occurred at 6:19 a.m. Wednesday, near the intersection of Route 220 with Peck Lane, just north of Fincastle.
The truck was hauling approximately 8,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, traveling north on Route 220 toward Clifton Forge.
According to Virginia State Police, the driver, James Willard Yarbrough Jr. of Stuart, swerved to avoid striking a deer.
The truck ran off the left side of the roadway, into the median and overturned. Yarbrough was able to exit the truck before it caught fire. He was charged with reckless driving.
Fuel that was on fire quickly ran down a culvert and into a storm drain. The fire caused extensive damage to the north side of the roadway and the culvert under the northbound travel lanes.
The pipe under the northbound lane collapsed, leaving a large hole in the roadway, said Jason Bond, spokesman for the Virginia Department of Transportation in Salem.
North and southbound sides of the roadway were closed while the damage was assessed, Bond said.
After the truck was removed from the crash site, the Virginia Department of Transportation worked to open the southbound side of Route 220 to handle both lanes of traffic.
Bond said VDOT?assessed the damage to piping under the southbound lane to ensure the roadway could safely support traffic.
VDOT detoured traffic off of Route 220 while workers cleared the wreckage and assessed the southbound lane.
Bond said the northbound lane will likely be closed for a significant period of time due the damage inflicted by the fire.
“We know there is significant damage and we are looking at a long-term closure,” he said.
Units from Botetourt County Fire and EMS, Fincastle, Eagle Rock and Troutville fire departments, emergency management and hazardous materials officials from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and VDOT were on-scene Wednesday.
Botetourt County officials advised livestock owners along the tributary of Catawba Creek near the crash site not to allow their animals to drink from the waterway until hazardous materials officials confirmed it was safe to drink.
