An explosion in North Little Rock injured one man and briefly shut down a railroad bridge Tuesday, a North Little Rock Fire Marshal’s Office spokesman said.
A driver learned that his Waste Management truck was a little too tall to pass beneath the railroad bridge crossing West Broadway when he tried it Tuesday afternoon, according to North Little Rock deputy fire marshal Lt. Dustin Free.
The two compressed natural gas tanks on the recycling truck’s roof struck the bridge, causing one of the tanks to rupture and explode at approximately 3:25 p.m., Free said. A driver in an SUV behind the recycling truck told Free he saw a “ball of fire coming at him” seconds before the explosion left minor burns on the man’s hands and forearms, Free said.
The North Little Rock Fire Department briefly shut down the Union Pacific railroad bridge until railroad officials could ensure that it was safe for travel, Free said. Trains were passing over the bridge again before 6 p.m.
The explosion caused a small grass fire alongside the bridge, which was quickly extinguished, and material inside the recycling truck burned, Free said.
Firefighters put out the blaze before 5:30 p.m., but that portion of West Broadway was closed to drivers during 5 o’clock traffic, causing back-ups that stretched up to and across the Broadway Bridge.
Free said the driver of the Waste Management truck declined medical assistance. After being treated for the burns on his hands by responding medics, the driver of the SUV left with only a burn lines along his car to show he’d lived through an explosion.
Firefighters notified the North Little Rock Electric Department, and Free said linemen would check to ensure there was no damage to poles or lines.