Photo by: wpbf
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responded to the northbound Turnpike, south of Lake Worth Road and north of Boynton Beach Boulevard, just before 6 a.m. They received reports of an explosion and a massive fuel tank fire. The truck, which was near the Hypoluxo overpass, was carrying approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 7,500 of gas.
Fuel leaked to both sides of the highway, spreading the flames.
The driver was able to escape in time with no injuries, according to officials. There were no other vehicles involved.
Eighteen fire units responded and built a dam to contain the fuel.
“TP northbound lanes opening now. Expect heavy delays,” Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said in an X post around 9 a.m. One southbound lane reopened around 8 a.m
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Transportation are assessing the damages.
The first firefighter on scene, Captain Tony Faso with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, says more than 10 vehicles that came to a stop after the truck caught fire had to be evacuated. He says units had to put floating pumps into nearby canals since no fire hydrants are nearby.
He says those circumstances, and the fact that cars improperly used the shoulders of the roadways on the Florida Turnpike, impeding some fire engines from reaching the scene quicker, made fighting this fire particularly challenging.
“You have a lot of goals that have to be accomplished right away, and fast, ultimately life safety is going to be the number one, but once that’s under control, it’s kind of difficult to have fire attack operations going when you have limited water resources,” Faso said.
He says he’s grateful no one was hurt and crews were able to put out the fire as soon as they did.
“It’s good to have everybody come together and work as a team and make effective fire operations and ensure that everyone is safe and go home,” Faso said.
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Source: wpbf
