Semi collision results in gas leak and evacuations near Junction 42 Wednesday night

Fortunately, no one was hurt following a tractor trailer crash south of Red Deer Wednesday that resulted in a gas leak and the closure of Highway 42 east of Penhold.

Travis Allred, Deputy Chief Training, Red Deer County Protective Services, says the collision occurred around 3:45 p.m.

“We had a tractor trailer unit, a semi-truck leave the road and have a collision with a natural gas compressor station. It was a metering station,” he explains. “The truck actually came to rest on top of the building. The structure was a small one, however it severed a high pressure gas line, so there was gas leaking.”

“At the time, we needed to figure out who the supplier was for that. We called in ATCO and Crossroads Gas who actually were both affected by this incident,” adds Allred. “That particular location, the gas comes out odourless. There’s an odouring station there. So because we had a flammable substance that was escaping that was odourless and colourless, we cordoned off the area and with the help of our peace officers from Red Deer County, Penhold Fire, RCMP, and Red Deer County Fire. We closed off the highway just as a precaution to make sure everybody remained safe.”