Tanker truck wreck cleanup ends in fireball

This tanker truck, carrying more than 8,000 gallons of fuel, ended up cab down in a ditch off Highway 135 last Thursday when it collided with a 2005 Ford SUV. It took hazmat teams until the early morning hours Friday to remove most of the fuel from the tanker which exploded when attempts were made to remove it from the ditch. (Photo provided by Marion Bearden.)

Miraculously no one was critically injured Thursday, Feb. 12 when a tanker truck, fully loaded with gasoline and diesel fuel, collided with a 2005 Ford SUV at an intersection six miles south of Lepanto. Spilled fuel from the wreck also caused a fiery explosion during cleanup efforts early the next morning.

Randy Tucker of Lepanto, driver of the Ford, was traveling west on Highway 118 at about noon when he failed to yield when turning left. He was struck by the tanker, which was traveling south on Highway 135. The tanker's driver, Eddie Little of Paragould, was able to climb from the wreckage even though the truck's smashed cab was upside down in a ditch.

Hazmat teams from Marion and Earle were called to the scene for clean up. They pumped 2,500 gallons of fuel from the tanker which held just over 8,000 gallons. The other 5,500 gallons had spilled onto the roadway and into adjacent ditches.

"Before we could do anything we had to have 20,000 gallons of water on standby," said Tyronza Fire Chief Rodney Harris.

Harris said the crews worked until early the next morning covering the ditches with foam which is designed to contain gasoline fumes.

"We put out over 20,000 gallons of water and used at least four 55-gallon drums of foam," Harris said.

Despite the precautions, the tanker caught fire and exploded when Rusty Holmes of Rusty's Garage in Marked Tree was attempting to pull it from the ditch.

"I had it almost out of the ditch," Holmes said. "I was winching it, and as soon as I pulled it up onto the road it exploded."

Holmes said the tanker was blown onto the back of the wrecker truck he was operating. Flames also engulfed an adjacent wrecker Holmes had been using earlier in the night.

"The disconnected truck went up in flames. It completely burned up," Holmes said. "The one I was driving had paint burned off of it and the lights were burned out. The fire department kept it hosed down and that's why it didn't burn up too."

Paramedics at the scene examined Holmes for injuries, but he escaped with only a case of frayed nerves.

"It was really loud," Holmes said. "It sounded like dynamite went off."

Harris said flames from the explosion shot 60 to 80 feet into the air.

"The ditches were on fire for about a mile and the flames were shooting up," Harris said. "It was spectacular to say the least."

Firefighters from Marked Tree, Tyronza and Lepanto responded to the fire.

Fire fighters work to fight the blaze ignited when a wrecked tanker truck carrying fuel caught fire and exploded. (Photo provided by Rodney Harris.)

"At one time we had more than 100 volunteers and firefighters at the site," Harris said.

Fortunately Harris said no one was seriously injured. Only a few cuts and scratchers were sustained during the cleanup effort that lasted through the weekend and into Monday.

"The people from the United States Environmental Service out of Memphis worked on it around the clock until they finished about 4 p.m. Monday," Harris said.

The tanker truck is owned by Flash Oil Company of West Memphis.

Tucker was given a ticket for failure to yield, not wearing a seatbelt and driving on a suspended license.

Little, Tucker and Tucker's passenger, Nancy Leija of Tyronza, were transported to St. Bernards Hospital in Jonesboro by Riverside Ambulance where they were treated and released.