Authorities say a 48-year-old man from Meadville, Pennsylvania, was killed when the tanker truck he was driving rolled over and exploded Thursday evening. (Stark Fire Department Rehab Unit)

Carroll County, Ohio (WJER) - Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams says the crash that killed a Pennsylvania man and has kept State Route 332 closed since Thursday is the worst vehicle fire he has seen in his career. 

Williams, who says he was the first person on the scene just south of Carrollton, described it as horrendous.

“Arriving at the scene, we see where the truck, the 18-wheeler that was loaded with propane, went off the right side of the roadway. He took out 275-foot of guardrail, three telephone poles with fiber on it, and went down over the embankment and down into a private lake,” he says.

Williams says it appears the driver, a 48-year-old man from Meadville, Pennsylvania, was ejected from the vehicle and was found deceased at the scene. He says the tanker was punctured during the crash, caught fire, and has been burning since.    

ODOT spokesperson Lauren Borell says the road could remain closed into the weekend as the fire burns out.

“Due to the hazardous conditions, we’re going to keep the road closed until the accident can be cleaned up, and right now we have a detour posted,” she says.

Borell says the detour uses state routes 9 and 164. Williams says officials do not yet know what caused the crash.

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