Propane Truck Blows Up; 8 Die, 10 Hurt

A 10,000-gallon propane truck exploded Friday on a highway, killing seven people, sparking a huge fireball and sending pieces of the tanker crashing into a house 125 yards away, officials said.

Six people were admitted to hospitals, including one who later died and another in critical condition, and five others were treated and released. A traffic jam caused by the crash led to an accident that claimed a eighth life.

“I heard the explosion and saw the tanker flying through the air. It fell on the house and just blew up,” said Marvin Mitchell, a witness.

The wood-frame duplex house was destroyed and a 10-year-old girl inside died, authorities said. An elderly woman also inside the house died later of her burns.

The six other deaths, including the driver of the truck, and most of the injuries occurred on Interstate 240 near downtown as the fireball engulfed the truck and several other vehicles, said fire Capt. Benny McDow.

The people taken to hospitals suffered mostly from burns, McDow said. One was listed in critical condition early today in the burn unit of the Regional Medical Center and four other people were also hospitalized.

Authorities said some of the bodies were so badly burned that they would have to be identified through dental records.

The propane truck apparently skidded off an exit ramp on Interstate 240 as the driver tried to turn onto Interstate 40 toward Arkansas, McDow said. The roadway was dry.

“He was trying to exit and lost control and hit a retaining wall,” McDow said. “That exit there is short. It’s one of those tight turns.”

Frank Baker, a deputy chief in charge of Fire Department crews on the scene, said victims killed by the blast had little chance to escape the flames. “There was a huge fireball, maybe 700 to 800 feet. It engulfed three or four cars,” Baker said.

In addition to the destroyed duplex, the fireball damaged five houses, three on one side and two on the other side of the six-lane highway, authorities said.

James Edgeston, who lives two doors away from the destroyed duplex, said a truck axle with four wheels attached ended up in his kitchen. He suffered a cut on the head but was not seriously hurt.

John Stonecipher, a city fire marshal, said the tanker ruptured on one end and blasted off like a rocket when the fuel ignited.