BRISTOW, Okla. — A fire chief is recovering in the hospital after a tanker truck he was working on exploded Tuesday.
NewsOK reported that Bristow Fire Chief David McSpadden thought he smelled battery acid leaking from beneath the passenger seat of a newly renovated tanker truck. After lifting the seat to investigate the smell, the truck exploded.
“It was just a freak accident,” firefighter Mike Siler said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Chief McSpadden suffered a broken neck, broken jaw, damage to his eye sockets and several burns, according to the report. He was taken to a hospital to undergo surgery.
He was reported in fair condition Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The truck hadn’t been used since it was donated to the fire station by another government agency a few years ago.