GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida firefighters turned to the air to douse a flaming fuel tanker after a crash that left one person dead.
Gainesville Fire Rescue reports a tanker carrying 6,800 gallons of fuel was struck as it was making a U-turn early Sunday morning.
GFR, ACFR, GPD, ASO, and GRU have extinguished a fuel tanker fire at 2000 NW 43rd St. The Fire was caused by a vehicle crash. The crash is under investigation by GPD. Great effort to all the crews. pic.twitter.com/PCEiuGQfG5
— Gainesville Fire (@GFR1882) October 27, 2019
Two of the truck’s five fuel compartments ruptured and the fuel ignited, sending flames hundreds of feet in the air and causing power lines to fall to the road.
As firefighters on the ground battled to keep the fire from spreading, an airplane was deployed to douse the truck with foam.
Gainesville police were investigating the crash. The department didn’t release information about the victim who died at the scene.
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