AKRON, OH : 18-year-old North Canton man identified as victim in fiery tanker crash on Ohio 8 in Akron on Wednesday, 26th August, 2020

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office on Wednesday identified the victim in Tuesday’s fiery crash on Ohio 8 in Akron as Jared Marcum, 18, of North Canton.

Marcum was driving a car involved in a collision with a tanker truck around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday on Ohio 8 between Tallmadge and Howe avenues, according to police.The crash remains under investigation. The driver of the tanker was not hurt, police said.

The Akron Fire Department reported that gasoline from the tanker’s fuel tank and an unidentified flammable liquid carried by the tanker contributed to a fire that was visible for miles, and engulfed Marcum’s car.

Some of the liquids spread onto the roadway and into a nearby stream that flows into the Cuyahoga River near Gorge Metro Park. The fire department confirmed there was “hot runoff” in the sewer system, with some soot found near the sewer grates, and that the fire was quickly extinguished. Summit Metro Parks temporarily closed Gorge Metro Park due to a “sewer fire” related to the crash on Ohio 8, and has banned fishing in the area until Saturday.

The tanker company is paying for an emergency remediation company to perform additional work in the area, including placing “absorbent booms,” which restrict access to the affected area along the river, according to an Akron spokeswoman.

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