Highway 65 closed in Plateau Canyon after semi crash, fire

By Paul Shockley
Friday, September 14, 2012

Highway 65 is closed in both directions after a semi-tanker reportedly hauling production water crashed and burst into flames just before 1 p.m., the Colorado State Patrol said.

Trooper Josh Lewis said the tanker was northbound and went off the roadway around milepost 58, taking out a power pole and knocking down power lines. The male driver was transported by ambulance from the scene, Lewis said. The Plateau Valley Fire Department and Palisade Fire Department, among other agencies, were dispatched.
Police radio traffic early on at the scene indicated the tanker was hauling production water, while hazardous materials teams and representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency were notified about the crash. It wasn’t immediately clear if the tanker’s load spilled or reached nearby Plateau Creek, which feeds into the Colorado River around Interstate 70.

Read the full story in Saturday’s Daily Sentinel.