CAMDEN, Ark. – One person has died in a truck explosion, says the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
It happened Wednesday morning along Hwy. 278. People in El Dorado (about 35 miles away) reported feeling the blast, which was reported to have been felt in a 60-mile radius.
Officials tell us the truck was carrying ammonium nitrate, which is a toxic chemical. The
carrier vehicle was a tanker not a hopper. (A hopper car or hopper wagon is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, and track ballast).
Two-hundred to 300 yards of forest caught on fire around the explosion site.
According to ProMed Ambulance, HazMat crews expanded the perimeter around the scene. The highway was expected to be closed 4-5 hours at a minimum and traffic is being detoured to another area..
There were only minor injuries to those in the immediate area.
