A tractor-trailer carrying a tank of 6,000 gallons of Scotch whiskey overturned on a New Jersey road and burst in flames on Tuesday, according to reports.
"For us, it is unusual. We usually deal with gasoline tankers on the Turnpike, but to get a whisky tanker turning over in the middle of a residential neighborhood is uncommon," told Fords Fire Company official Frank DellaPietro to the New York Post.
No injuries have been reported. The driver of the tractor-trailer was taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy Division as a precaution.
Chief Dan Gregan of the Fords Fire Co. said the truck was making a turn when it clipped a telephone pole, hit a parked Cadillac and ignited.
The Woodbridge Township officials did not know what brand of whiskey caught fire. Firefighters extinguished flames using foam, approaching the alcohol spill as they would a gasoline fire.
"It's a flammable liquid. Once you put foam on it [it's out]," DellaPierto told The Post. "There's a relief valve on top of the tank. When pressure builds up, it releases it. Some of the product came out of that hatch. When it flipped over, it made sparks on ground and that's how it ignited."
The valve eventually closed cutting off the flow of whiskey from the tank.
In addition to the local firefighters, police, Hazmat workers and the Woodbridge Office of Emergency Management coordinator all responded to the scene. The fire officials' quick response prevented the Scotch whiskey from spreading, but township workers needed about six hours to clear the smelly mess.
Witness reports say there was rather a potent smell of whiskey, fuel and fire. According to officials, the blaze from the spill was never a major threat to the neighborhood.
