PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – One year after a A fatal truck crash and fire caused a section of I-95 to collapse in Philadelphiafederal authorities are releasing more information about what may have caused the explosion.
A Sunoco gasoline truck overturned while driving around a curve and crashed before catching fire and exploding under the Cottman Avenue overpass on June 11, 2023. killing the truck driver.
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board says the fire “most likely started when gasoline escaped from an open 16-inch manhole … of the trailer as it overturned, and the 2,499 gallons of gasoline/ethanol mixture began to flow into the compartment.” to spill out of the tank and ignite.”
Another possible explanation for the fire, although less likely, is that the truck’s aluminum tank ruptured or the truck’s vapor collection components were damaged, releasing gas fumes that could have ignited. The truck cab’s diesel tank could also have ruptured, “or a combination of these factors occurred, igniting the escaping gasoline fumes or diesel fumes.”
According to the report, the driver fueled up at the Buckeye Terminal in Wilmington and was headed to a Wawa on Oxford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, but failed to close the 16-inch hatch.
The accident closed the highway for weeks before workers made it to a bed of a lightweight stone-like substance made from recycled glass and covered it with a temporary roadway through the center lanes.
Workers then started a permanent highway from the outer lanes and worked their way in The completed permanent roadway on I-95 fully opened in May 2024.
National Transportation Safety Board
