The driver of an 18-wheeler carrying about 9,000 gallons of gasoline remained in critical condition Sunday after a predawn crash near a Fort Worth gas station sparked a massive blaze fueled by downed power lines.
The collision occurred around 1 a.m. along Trinity Boulevard just off Texas 360, when the tanker truck struck another vehicle and spun off the road, authorities said. Leaking fuel ignited after power lines fell onto the scene, engulfing the rig in flames.
Fort Worth Fire Department crews treated the incident as a Level 2 hazardous materials emergency. Firefighters battled the inferno for hours, spraying the tanker with water to keep it cool, deploying foam from an aircraft rescue and firefighting truck summoned from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and using sand to build containment dams and block runoff. An environmental unit also responded.
“The driver of the 18-wheeler was trying to do everything he could to keep the gas from draining into the parking lot of the Valero gas station when it lit off,” Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said, the Associated Press reported.
The driver suffered severe burns and was hospitalized in critical condition. No other injuries were reported. Road closures remained in place for several hours as crews extinguished the fire and began cleanup. Firefighters cleared the scene around 7 a.m.
Witnesses described hearing a loud crash, followed by flames shooting skyward and radiating intense heat that could be felt from blocks away.
