Fuel tanker fire on Highway 99 exposes wider road explosion risks
A fuel tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of fuel erupted in flames on Highway 99 in Selma, California, after it sideswiped a disabled box truck sitting
A fuel tanker carrying 8,600 gallons of fuel erupted in flames on Highway 99 in Selma, California, after it sideswiped a disabled box truck sitting on the shoulder. Black smoke towered over the road Saturday morning. Then the fire spread fast.
The crash shut the southbound lanes for hours and sent nearby residents watching from close range as a wall of fire rose near their neighborhood. California Highway Patrol Sgt. Adrian Lopez said the box truck had been parked while waiting for help when the tanker hit it about 10 minutes later. The drivers got away with minor injuries. A third vehicle was struck by debris, but its driver was not hurt.
A dangerous pattern on highways
The Selma fire was not an isolated scare. This summer, roads in the United States and elsewhere have seen a string of explosive incidents that closed major routes, drew federal investigators and left one person dead in the Chicago area. On Interstate 290 near Mannheim Road in Westchester, Illinois, federal officials said an explosion killed a man and halted traffic for nearly nine hours while the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined local police. Authorities later said they did not believe anyone else was involved.
In Tel Aviv, a car explosion on the Ayalon Highway killed one man, with terrorism not suspected. In Gravette, Arkansas, officials reported one dead after an explosion on Highway 72. Different places. Same jolt. Same fear.
Why road crews and firefighters move slowly
In Selma, firefighters from Selma City Fire and CAL FIRE had to let the fuel burn off before clearing the scene. That choice is grim, but standard when tens of thousands of gallons are involved. Moving too soon can turn one fire into many.
CHP said officers and firefighters worked to keep the flames from spreading beyond the crash area. They did. Highway 99 reopened only partially later in the afternoon, after hours of closure that rippled through the surrounding area.
For drivers, the lesson is blunt. A disabled vehicle on the shoulder is not always safe. A fuel tanker is not always just another truck. And on busy highways, one impact can become a regional shutdown in minutes.
