Overturned Propane Truck Forces Evacuation of Tustin Neighborhood

About 250 Tustin residents camped out at a local high school early Friday after an overturned propane truck closed the Costa Mesa Freeway for eight hours and forced the evacuation of nearby houses, officials said.

No one was injured in the accident, but a family was jolted when a double set of truck tires crashed through the sliding patio door of their apartment.

“I was so scared,” said Vicky Alvarez, 19, a physical therapist assistant. “We thought it was a burglar with a bat.”

The incident began when the northbound driver lost control of the 2,200-gallon propane truck around 9:15 p.m. Thursday near Edinger Avenue, and the rig tipped onto its side, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Many residents were bused to nearby Tustin High School, 1171 El Camino Real, said Rebecca Long, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, which provided food, blankets and cots.

Some residents were annoyed by orders to evacuate the neighborhood about 1 a.m. while a crew righted the rig, which authorities feared could explode.

One of the truck’s double-tire sets, which weigh about 400 pounds and stand 4 feet high, bounced 40 yards down the freeway into the 17000 block of Altadena Drive, where it crashed into Alvarez’s apartment.

Alvarez was preparing for bed when she heard something crash through the patio doors into the dining room.

She shepherded a young niece, nephew and other members of the extended family into a bedroom while her husband, Raul, 22, hid behind a wall with a belt and a chair, urging what he thought was a burglar to show himself.

When nothing happened, the husband peeked around the corner and spotted the intruder propped against the stove.

“He told everyone that everything was OK,” Alvarez said. “We came out, and all looked at each other and laughed.”

The family learned later that the wheels had dodged trees along the freeway, cleared a 5-foot fence, collapsed a barbecue grill, bounced off the patio ceiling and crashed through the door before ripping the stove from the kitchen counter.

After being told to evacuate, Silvano Santos, 14, his parents and four siblings took the family van to Thorman Elementary School, where they stayed for an hour before officials decided to move everyone to Tustin High, which has more space, Silvano said.

“People were really worried and nervous,” he said.

The Santoses eventually went to a friend’s house to spend the night -- or what was left of it. Residents were allowed to return to their homes about 5 a.m.

Silvano made it home, but not to school.

“I’m too tired, and I have a big headache,” Silvano, a student at Utt Middle School, said Friday morning. “It was a long night.”