No one was killed when a tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of ethanol crashed and caught fire Wednesday morning on a busy highway outside of Gwinnett County.
The wreck on Ga. 316 near Patrick Mill Road would have been “a major and deadly scene” if not for the quick work of firefighters, according to the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office. Crews arrived quickly and put out the fire on tanker, the agency said in a Facebook post.
“Without their swift and brave work numerous lives would have been lost and the injuries would have been countless,” the post said.
Multiple vehicles were involved in the crash, which appeared to be widely scattered across the intersection, the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center reported.
The conditions of those involved was not provided.
The wreck blocked the divided highway in both directions until about 9 a.m., when the eastbound lanes reopened. The westbound lanes remained shut down until just before 4 p.m., authorities said.
Drivers were forced to take Carl Bethlehem Road to get through Barrow County while crews cleaned up the wreckage.
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