Fuel Tanker Crashes, Explodes at Miami Jail; Driver Is Killed
A fuel tanker rolled off an exit ramp early Thursday and exploded in the parking lot of a women’s jail, igniting several vehicles and detonating ammunition left in police cars, officials said.
The driver of the tanker, Iray Jesus Diaz, 41, of Hialeah, died in the crash, said Lt. Julio Pajon, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol. No other injuries were reported.
Diaz, a driver for MDG Trucking of Fort Lauderdale, lost control of the vehicle while exiting Interstate 95 to Highway 836 shortly after 3 a.m., Pajon said. The tanker rolled off the ramp and landed in the lot of the women’s annex of the Miami-Dade County Detention Center, he said.
The fire destroyed or damaged four buses and more than 20 cars.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots when the fire heated rounds of ammunition left in police cars.
None of the 417 female detainees at the center were harmed, a spokeswoman for the detention center said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
