OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – A driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries Tuesday morning after the fuel truck he was driving overturned.
The accident occurred around 5:30 a.m. in the 5300 block of North Andrews Avenue.
Sky 10 was above the scene as the fuel truck was on its side after going off the road and crashing into a tree right in between two homes.
“Anytime you have a tanker truck on its side, they’re not supposed to be laying down -- they’re not built for that,” Asst. Chief Marc Vermont, of Oakland Park Fire Rescue, said. “Once that vehicle rolls over, the only way to right it is to offload the product. It’s on there, so it takes some time. It’s a coordinated operation.”
Noon report:
A spokesperson for the city of Oakland Park confirmed that a fuel leak has been contained.
Frank Guzman, of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Administration, said first responders arrived at the scene and found the driver still inside the tanker, which was carrying about 1,100 gallons of fuel.
Several homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue’s Hazmat team responded to assist, Guzman confirmed.
The impact of the crash was felt by neighbors blocks away.
“The explosion was real huge, everybody woke up. The house shakes in the explosion,” Rafael Serrano said.
While the diesel fuel that the tanker was carrying did not spill out, some of the tanker’s personal fuel did leak, prompting firefighters to spray foam on the spill as crews worked to drill holes so they could pump the remaining fuel into another tanker.
“They have to drill holes into the side of the vehicle, into the tanker, put in a pump and it takes some time to do that safely. Obviously can’t create a spark, so you’ll have a fire flare up,” Vermont said.
The slow and deliberate process took several hours with crews planning to pull the tanker upright once its tanks were emptied.
Other than the driver, officials say no one else in the neighborhood was hurt.
“This had the possibility of being a real catastrophic incident and we’re very fortunate that nothing happened,” Guzman said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.