Grand Rapids man dies after tanker truck rolls over, catches fire
NEW INDEPENDENCE, Minn. -- Police say a man died Saturday afternoon when his tanker rolled over and caught on fire north of Duluth.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a tractor-trailer hauling a tanker was driving northbound on Minnesota Highway 33 in St. Louis County shortly before 1 p.m.
The driver, 31-year-old Xavier Henson, was unable to negotiate the curve at the junction with U.S. Highway 53. The truck left the roadway, overturned and caught fire.
Authorities asked people to avoid the area while crews fought the fire.
The highways reopened to regular traffic around 4 p.m. but some emergency crews remained on the scene into the evening, according to the Grand Lake Volunteer Fire Department.
