Police locked down the Kingsway in Dundee after a cylinder on the back of a van leaked highly flammable gas.
Gary Williams and his friend Shaun Ross were driving a flatbed van when a gas cylinder they were carrying slipped free from its restraint and fell over on the back of the vehicle, causing the valve to open and release propane gas.
The Kingsway has been closed between Forfar Rd and Old Glamis Rd after a propane cylinder carried by a van was damaged. pic.twitter.com/LU9otqg256
— Wave 102 (@wave102) October 3, 2016
The pair made a run for it, before calling the emergency services who shut the road in both directions from Forfar Road to Glamis Road, including the pedestrian footpaths.
For over an hour there were tailbacks along the dual carriageway, stretching from the junction with Forfar Road to the roundabout at Pitkerro Road, as well as traffic jams on Clepington Road.
The incident happened near the Kingsway junction with Glamis Road, not far from Dundee and Angus College.
Driver Gary, 25, of Eden Street, said: “I had a look in the back and I saw that the gas was pouring out.
“I told Shaun to get out and run. We just ran away from it.”
Shaun, 31, from Lochee, added: “It really was a case of flinging the door open and making a run for it. He ran one way and I ran the other. It was a close call.”
Gary is looking after his father Albert’s burger van business, A.W. Catering, while he holidays in Mexico.
He was transporting the cylinders on the flatbed he uses for his gardening business until his dad’s return.
Pensioner James Peebles, whose home overlooks the spot where the incident happened, said that his wife had seen the events unfold.
He said: “My wife saw the police and the fire services coming down the road.
“There was a lot of traffic down the road, but the bit outside our house was empty except for the van and the emergency services.
“I was in the house and didn’t even hear anything!”
Response Sergeant David Gibson, of Police Scotland, said: “A flatbed truck was carrying two 19kg propane cylinders.
“One of the valves appears to have malfunctioned or opened, resulting in one of the cylinders leaking.
“The fire service were quickly on scene and ensured there was no danger to road users or nearby residents.
“The area was closed off and the fire service are emptying the cylinder. We would like to thank members of the public for their patience.”
