Tanker truck bursts into flames on highway in Pennsauken
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (WPVI) -- A tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of fuel overturned and burst into flames near the Betsy Ross Bridge Monday morning in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
The accident happened around 11:00 a.m. on the northbound ramp from Route 90 to Route 130.
Neighbors heard explosions.
Greg Wicker tells us, "Well it was a heck of a way to wake up, I'll tell you what. So I am in that building right there and I hear explosions... five or six explosions."
The tanker was owned by TK Transport of Pennsauken.
Thick black smoke could be seen for miles but it was the residents on and around Wyndam Road who were breathing in the toxic fumes.
30 homes were evacuated. Firefighters worked to contain the roadside inferno.
Neighbor David Smith captured the smoke taking over his neighborhood.
"There's been an oily residue in my mouth all day and I got a wicked headache from it," Smith said.
Hours after the fire was extinguished, Camden County says the major gas spill contaminated the ground. But air monitoring outside and inside homes by hazmat crews showed normal levels.
"My mom who is 92 is not here. I left her at her house because we were afraid of the air quality. She usually stays with me during the week," resident Janet Galasso said.
The intense fire damaged the roadway and sparked detours, slowing down traffic during the evening commute near the Betsy Ross Bridge.
Workers scraped and shoveled away debris on the typically busy artery.
"It didn't even look like a truck. I just saw them put it in a dumpster. It's gone and we'll see what happens from here," resident Bruce Nolte said.
Action News contacted Paul Kauffman, the owner of TK Transport.
He said his driver who suffered minor injuries is fine and he had no other comment.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
The ramp remains closed and the roadway will be inspected Tuesday.
