A tanker hauling diesel fuel and gasoline crashed and burned in a hairpin turn on U.S. 6 west of the summit of Loveland Pass this afternoon, creating an intense fire that was allowed to burn itself out.
The driver escaped the cab after the truck ran a short ways down an embankment and caught fire, said State Trooper David Hall.
The Colorado Department of Transportation has closed the pass overnight to repair damage.
Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue crews found it safer to allow the 3,800 gallons of diesel fuel and 3,500 gallons of unleaded gasoline to burn themselves out.
Dousing the fire risked a toxic runoff that could contaminate vegetation and water, according to a statement from the fire department.
The accident was about a mile and a half from the summit of the 11,000-foot pass at about 2:15 p.m., authorities said.
The fire burned as hot as 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit and at times the flames reached 150 feet high, according to a statement from the department.
