Gas Tanker Blows Up in Tenn.; 5 Die

A propane tanker truck struck a concrete bridge support today and erupted in a fireball, engulfing nearby vehicles and somersaulting its tank “like a missile” into a house 125 yards away. At least five people were killed, eight injured and another was missing.

Rescue workers found four bodies on a stretch of interstate highway at the accident site in downtown Memphis. Firefighters pulled a fifth victim from the charred house and searched for another person believed to be in the structure.

People Burning in Street

“There were people rolling in the street burning. There was one guy lying on one side of the hill just smoking,” said Jed Tennison, a sheet metal worker who works nearby.

The eight injured people, including a woman rescued from the house, were taken to Memphis Regional Medical Center. Four of them were in critical condition with burns.

“To the best of our knowledge . . . the tank ruptured and a fire resulted,” Deputy Fire Chief Frank Baker said. “This fireball encompassed four or five other vehicles on the interstate. We have five known fatalities.

“The tank itself, when it ruptured, acted as a missile and traveled an unknown path until it hit an overpass on the interstate.”

Tank Bounced, Hit House

After hitting the overpass, the tank flew off the highway, apparently bouncing once before landing on the house on the east side of the interstate.

Steve Sharp, who lives four houses from the house struck by the tank, pointed to a hole 4 feet deep and 10 feet wide halfway between the interstate and the house that was destroyed. He said he thought the tank hit the ground and somersaulted another 75 yards to the house, igniting some of the trees along the way.

“I feel lucky, man, I tell you,” Sharp said. “Even 50 feet above the bridge it was all flames.”

Fire Capt. R. W. Owen said the accident occurred where a ramp from Interstate 40 and the Hernando DeSoto Bridge, which spans the Mississippi, connects with I-240. People who work in the area said the ramp has been the site of numerous accidents.