Freeway Closed as Gas Canisters Explode Aboard Burning Truck

A propane-fueled truck carrying canisters of flammable gas caught fire on the Santa Monica Freeway Wednesday afternoon, causing some of the canisters to explode and seriously injure the driver.

No one else was hurt and no other vehicles were damaged, but both sides of the freeway were closed for a time as a result of the 2:15 p.m. accident, backing up traffic for miles.

Firefighters from the Santa Monica and Los Angeles departments extinguished the blaze within half an hour.

An undercover Santa Monica police officer, who declined to give his name, said he and his partner were traveling west on the freeway near Centinela Avenue when they saw the truck burning near the shoulder and the driver staggering away, his hair and clothing smoldering and blood covering his hands and mouth.

The driver, James Allen, 49, of Bell, was being treated for burns on his upper body, arms and face at Sherman Oaks Community Hospital.

The undercover officer said the driver told him that the canisters were filled with acetylene, a flammable gas used as a welding fuel.

There were a series of explosions, according to witnesses, although fire officials were not immediately certain how many canisters blew up or what caused the initial fire.

Pedro Galvan, who lives a block north of the freeway, said he heard four explosions. “I thought they were bombs going off,” he said.

Eastbound lanes of the Santa Monica Freeway were closed until 3:30 p.m. Two westbound lanes reopened about an hour later.