Major cleanup in Rockville Centre after tanker crash spills gasoline, sparks fire

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. -- An out of control tanker truck filled with gasoline careened into a commercial building and flipped across Sunrise Highway overnight in the heart of Rockville Centre.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, the impact sent a fireball 60 feet in the air.

A series of 911 calls began coming in around 1:10 a.m. to Nassau Emergency Dispatch. An abandoned La-Z-Boy furniture store had exploded into flames, threatening the main business loop at the North Centre Ave intersection.

The shell of the charred tanker came to rest upside down in the parking lot of a liquor store. The driver escaped and collapsed in the roadway in the midst of the firestorm.

The man, who drives for Rocket Express Corps of Bayshore, survived and is being questioned.

"Nine thousand gallons of gasoline was spilled into the roadways, streams and sewers here. We are now in the process of cleaning up," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said.

It took 26 fire departments working all night to bring the fire under control. Two volunteers suffered minor injuries.

Firefighters were still tending to hotspots, when environmental crews moved in.

"Our hazmat team went up with the Coast Guard to survey the area. They were of great assistance to us mitigating and basically identifying where the spill got into the waterways. They deployed booms in all the waterways and have contained that spill," Nassau County Fire Marshal Chief Michael Uttaro said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul directed multiple state agencies to help with the investigation and cleanup.

"DEC has deployed Environmental Conservation Police Officers and Spill Responders, including a drone pilot, to assess the potential environmental impacts to the Mill River and surrounding area and to pump out, clean, and flush the impacted drainage system," the governor said in a statement. "DOT is currently assessing damage to the drainage system, pavement and a traffic signal and additional information will be provided as it becomes available."

The commercial district took a hit, and surrounding stores were forced to close Wednesday. Some schools were also affected.

Fire damage knocked out power in the area and some electric service was shut off.

"There are approximately 500 homes that are without power at the current time. We are going to try and make sure that that power is restored," Blakeman said.

Drinking water was deemed safe.

"They are pumping foam out of the manholes now and if the wiring underground is OK, by the end of the day we should be back on," Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray said.

As the environmental cleanup proceeds, the state and county are assessing whether to completely raze the furniture store and when it will be safe to fully reopen roads.

"Thank you again to the volunteers. Everyone is so beautiful, the police, the fire department. Everyone is great, thank you," homeowner Lorraine Keegan said.

The blaze was so intense that it destroyed all the traffic lights in the intersection. Sunrise Highway was not expected to reopen until early Wednesday evening.

Just how the driver lost control is under investigation.

In:
• Sunrise Highway
• Rockville Centre