Oakland firefighters halt blaze caused by exploding tanker

The Trucker News Services

10/22/2008

OAKLAND, Calif. — Firefighters have knocked down a massive blaze that erupted after a gas tanker truck crashed and exploded on Interstate 880, but the southbound lanes remain blocked, authorities said Wednesday.

Three northbound lanes were reopened by about 8:15 a.m., but traffic remains slow and commuters are urged to take alternate routes.

The incident was reported at about 6:15 a.m. when the driver of an Acura in the fast lane of southbound I-880 tried to change lanes but realized there was a car there, swerved and lost control before ending up in the path of a big rig in the slow lane, said California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Morgan.

The big rig rear-ended the Acura, catapulting into the center divide near 16th Avenue, Morgan said.

The truck - carrying 8,600 gallons of gasoline - jackknifed, overturned, crashed and exploded, causing flames to shoot more than 50 feet into the air. The resulting fireball could be seen for miles in the dark predawn sky.

"It was just all flames," said Mark Andriani, 32, of Alameda. "We couldn't even stand over here. We were standing around the corner," about 200 yards away, he said.

There were no injuries, the CHP said.

"We're very fortunate that there were no injuries and no one was killed," Morgan said.

The truck was destroyed in the blaze. The heat from the fire was so intense that it melted plastic along a fence on the side of the freeway, telephone poles, electrical wires and half of a speed-limit sign, which now reads "5." Tree stumps were still smoldering hours after the crash.

By 7:30 a.m., the flames were knocked down with the help of a hazardous materials truck from Oakland International Airport. Crews are mopping up the scene and looking for any leak of gasoline into a nearby marina at Oakland's Embarcadero Cove.

"We have puddles of gasoline out there," Morgan said.

Motorists should use Interstate 580. Big rigs are also temporarily allowed on I-580, where they are normally banned, the CHP said.

BART service was not affected, and trains are running on time, said BART spokesman Linton Johnson. Smoke from the fire never wafted over the system's elevated tracks in the area, he said.

With the busy commute route closed, BART officials are gearing up to haul additional passengers, Johnson said.

"Every car we have available is going to be out there," he said.

The incident snarled traffic along heavily traveled I-880, a major north-south commuter route in the East Bay.

The freeway is expected to be closed for at least several hours as authorities check the roadway for any permanent damage.

"Unfortunately, there's going to be some road damage," said CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt. "The best guess is that it's not going to be open until later this afternoon."

It was not clear whether the busy freeway would be reopened in time for the evening commute.

Caltrans spokeswoman Brigetta Smith said the agency has no estimate yet on when the southbound lanes of I-880 can be reopened.

"The fire is just out," she said. "It's still smoldering, and the pavement is hot as heck. We can't even get in there yet to make an assessment."

The northbound lanes will need to be cleaned up from gasoline and foam fire retardant that spilled onto those lanes, and inspected before they can be opened to traffic, Van Eckhardt said.

"Hopefully those lanes will open soon," he said.