Deadly Fiery Tanker Crash In Saugus Ignites Nearby Buildings
SAUGUS (CBS/AP) - Two southbound lanes and one northbound lane of Route 1 had reopened in Saugus Saturday evening after a deadly and fiery explosion overnight.
A tanker truck driver was killed and four other people were injured after his truck, which was hauling gasoline, flipped over and exploded around 2 a.m.
State police said the fireball extended well over the Essex St bridge. That bridge was later closed.
According to State Police and witnesses, gasoline from the tanker spilled onto Route 1, flowed into a drainage ditch and ignited, carrying flames down a brook that runs near the highway. The floating fire ignited a home and two greenhouse buildings, which were still smoking several hours after the 2:30 a.m. crash on the north side of the highway.
WBZ-TV's Alana Gomez reports
"The whole brook was in flames," said Karen Staskawicz, whose home burned in the fire.
Video of the scene courtesy of Brian Nash
Staskawicz heard a loud crash and several minutes later was warned to get out of her home as the flaming gas ran behind her house and set her porch on fire. About two hours later, her entire house went up in flames. Staskawicz suspects that gas seeped into the basement and fueled the larger fire.
Later Saturday morning, she walked through her charred living room, trying to salvage sentimental photos and figure out what was next for herself, a roommate and her 19-year-old son.
"I don't know where we're staying, to be honest," said Staskawicz, 44. She added, "We have a lot of friends."
A greenhouse was also destroyed in the ensuing fire. The owner estimates the damage on his property is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"I looked back in the brook and I saw flames 2-300 feet in the air," the greenhouse owner told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe. "The whole thing collapsed and there's nothing I could do about it."
State police didn't immediately release the driver's name, but spokesman David Procopio said he was a New Hampshire man. The truck belongs to PJ Murphy Transportation Inc. of Methuen. A call by the Associate Press for comment to the company wasn't immediately returned.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl reports
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Four other motorists were hurt trying to avoid the crash and gushing fuel, including one who went into surgery for serious burns Saturday morning, Procopio said. The other three suffered less severe injuries.
Police were investigating what caused the tanker to slam into a median and roll over.
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About 120 people were evacuated from a neighborhood, but they were allowed to return to their homes several hours after the crash, Procopio said. The fires were out three hours after the accident.
Sandra Dion, who lives right off the highway, was awakened by the crash and soon after saw "a huge mushroom cloud of fire and smoke" in the sky over the road. Smaller, sporadic blasts followed as flames began riding down the brook, and there was another massive explosion in a nearby culvert that set off car alarms.
"The gas came down the gully, and everything just blew up," said Dion, 42.
Embers began falling, prompting a neighbor with a baby to leave the house, Dion said. Dion turned on the lawn sprinkler, knowing it might not do much good.
"It's one of those things, you just can't believe it," she said.
Police were checking a bridge over the highway for possible structural damage, Procopio said. Officials were also checking gas lines after an underground line to a nearby fast-food restaurant apparently ruptured from the explosion, he said.
The Department of Environmental Protection was examining the fuel spill.
(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
