Tanker Crashes in Flames; Driver Killed

At least one person died and 11 others were injured Saturday when a tanker truck loaded with molten sulfur jumped a center barrier on the Benicia Bridge, crashed into another vehicle and exploded in flames.

Benicia Fire Department spokesman Joe Thurin said investigators believe the tractor-drawn tanker struck another vehicle in the rear before it rolled over the divider on Interstate 680 about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco at about 11:45 a.m.

A flash fire caused by the sulfur, which was heated inside the tanker to about 400 degrees, engulfed the tanker truck, a horse trailer and two other vehicles, he said.

“There was a fireball off the roadway--six lanes of traffic wide and about 100 yards long,” Thurin said.

The tanker driver, whose identity was not immediately available, was killed, Thurin said. It is possible that two other people died, Thurin said, but that could not be confirmed.

Eleven people were taken to hospitals, including seven firefighters, two bridge employees and two passengers from one of the vehicles involved in the crash.

The bridge will be closed in both directions at least until 10 a.m. today, Thurin said.

The fire quickly burned out, leaving a cloud of fumes hanging over the south end of the bridge. However, the fumes were not threatening any communities, Thurin said. The California Highway Patrol was monitoring the cloud by helicopter.

Thurin said the tanker, which came from an Exxon refinery in Benicia, was being cooled so that the sulfur it contained would solidify, preventing any further runoff. Because the sulfur that spilled burned off, no water was contaminated, he said.