BOYLE HEIGHTS >> A tanker truck overturned and burst into flames in Boyle Heights Friday, releasing a river of flaming gasoline that significantly damaged one home and destroyed an SUV before firefighters got the upper hand, officials said.
The tanker fire was first reported about 3:30 p.m. in the 2600 block of 8th Street, just east of Soto Street, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
The driver of the tandem tanker truck driver was entering the 5 Freeway from the 8th Street offramp when the rear trailer overturned and caught fire, Humphrey said. A second fuel tanker being hauled by the truck remained on its wheels.
The driver escaped unscathed from the burning big rig, officials said. The intense fire sent a thick black plume into the air that was visible for miles around.
The “bulk of visible fire” was controlled about an hour after it began, officials said.
Humphrey said the tanker, which had a capacity of 4,800 gallons, was believed to be carrying unknown type of fuel, however further details were not available.
The truck driver was attempting to enter the 5 Freeway from the 8th Street onramp when the mishap occurred, officials said.
The local street and 8th Avenue onramp were expected to remain closed through the afternoon to allow for clean-up, investigation and utility repairs, Humphrey said.
Fuel leaking from the burning tanker produced a “river of fire” that headed downhill, Humphrey said. The fire destroyed an SUV that was parked along the curb.
“There were three homes in the path of the fire,” he said.
The two homes nearest to the fire sustained only cosmetic damage such as singed eves.
But the flow of burning gasoline made its way around the corner and set fire to triplex and some nearby brush, Humphrey said. At least one unit in the subdivided building sustained significant damage, and the residents would be temporarily displaced.
The two tanker trailers being hailed by the truck had a combined capacity of about 9,000 gallons of gasoline, Humphrey said. The rear trailer, which overturned and caught fire, contained about 4,800 gallons of fuel.
Nearly 3,000 gallons of gas leaked from the truck, Humphrey said. The second tanker did not rupture.
Firefighters worked to carefully drill a hole in the overturned tanker and use a vaccuum truck to drain it of an estimated 2,000 gallons of remaining fuel, Humphrey said.
The 8th Street onramp tot he 5 Freeway, as well as a small portion of 8th Street, were expected to remain closed at least through the end of Friday.
The bulk of “visible flames” was extinguished within about 20 minutes, Humphrey said. The fire was declared fully extinguished about 80 minutes after it ignited.