‘Boom, Boom, Boom!’ Tanker Burns on South Jersey Highway, Nearby Homes Evacuated

NBC Philadelphia – by Vince Lattanzio and Kelly Bayliss

A tanker truck, filled to the brim with gasoline, erupted in flames after overturning on a busy Camden County, New Jersey roadway Monday morning.

The TK Transport truck was carrying 8,900 gallons of fuel when it ignited on the Route 90 eastbound on-ramp to US 130 north in Pennsauken, police said.

Pennsauken Police Captain Michael Probasco told NBC10 the truck overturned around 11 a.m. while its driver, 43-year-old Brian Ervin, navigated the ramp. For some reason, he lost control sending the truck into a guardrail before landing on Delaware River Port Authority land. The impact ruptured the tractor-trailer’s tank and the gasoline began to burn.  

Flaming fuel poured out of the truck, running across the graded ramp, down an embankment and perilously close to the backyards of homes. A second fire started in a small wooded area behind homes.

“I was in my kitchen with my dog and I hear, ‘Boom, boom, boom,'” recalled resident Marisa Clements, who lives across the street from the ramp. At first, she thought someone was banging on her front door.

“It looked like the sky was falling. I just went out I knocked on my neighbor’s door and I said ‘C’mon get out, get out, something’s blowing up,'” she said. “I was scared to death.”

Greg Wicker, who lives across the street from Clements, heard six explosions before seeing a ball of flames.

“I didn’t know what to make of it, so got out of bed and saw this inferno in the backyard and the house across the street,” he said.

Strong northwest winds kept the thick smoke from rising, forcing it to stay close to the street. Still, the plume could be seen from miles away in Cherry Hill and across the river in Center City Philadelphia.

“It’s just jet black smoke. I’ve never seen so much smoke,” resident Florence Panto said, panting while describing the scene. The woman suffering from emphysema was concerned about being able to smell the acrid chemical through her closed doors and windows.

“It scratches your throat and like I said I’m about six houses down, she said. “So I mean I believe we’re in a good spot, but I’m sure the people right up the street, they have to be evacuated.”

Health officials warn that breathing in fumes or smoke from fuel fires is extremely dangerous. Smoke irritates eyes, nose and throat, which can make breathing much more difficult. It can also lead to chronic health issues.

Fire officials did not say how many people were evacuated as a precaution, but they did say students and staff at three schools nearby were safe.

A staff member at Crescent Hill Academy — less than half a mile from the scene, but the closest school — said while they were not in danger, a few parents had come to pick up their kids.

Concerned the burning gasoline could be washed into storm drains, firefighters waited for a hazmat crew to arrive with special flame-retardant foam to smother the fire.

By 12:20 p.m., the fire was knocked back. All that remained was a shell of charred steel and rubber.

Capt. Probasco said Ervin, the tanker’s driver, was rescued from the burning vehicle by police arriving on scene. He was not injured in the fiery crash nor was anyone else from the resulting blaze.

Both Route 90 and US 130 ramps were closed and traffic on the Betsy Ross Bridge into Philadelphia was stopped for some time because of the trouble.

The Delaware River Port Authority is currently investigating the crash. Officials did not have further details about what happened.

Read more: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Tanker-Explodes-on-Busy-South-Jersey-Road-293678891.html#ixzz3SbMNFY00
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