Post by musicradio77 on Oct 5, 2005 22:52:04 GMT -5
Fuel tanker fire kills driver, snarls traffic
BY BOB KAPPSTATTER and ROBERT F. MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Nightmarish traffic crippled the Bronx after a fuel tanker burst into flames yesterday, sparking a deadly fire that gutted several cars and shut down the Bruckner Expressway through the evening rush hour.
"I looked and there was a big, black cloud," said Jonny Rios, 25, who works at a nearby BP gas station. "A couple of seconds later, the fire was right behind it."
More than 6,000 gallons of fuel spilled from the tanker and ignited just before 2 p.m. on Bruckner Blvd., killing the truck driver - Harbey Muñoz, 46, of Middle Village, Queens - before he could get out of the cab, authorities said.
The 40-foot-high flames appeared to scorch the asphalt of the nearby Bruckner Expressway and singed overhead signs, forcing all lanes of the key artery to be closed indefinitely as city engineers determine whether it's safe.
Bruckner Blvd. also was shut between Hunts Point Ave. and 138th St. after the ignited fuel spilled into the Bronx River and snaked onto Whittier St., torching six parked cars.
"It's a headache," said Michael Miner, 21, of the Bronx, whose five-minute errand turned into a 25-minute ordeal when he got stuck at Bruckner Blvd. and E. 149th St.
Amtrak service between Penn Station and points north also remained suspended last night. More than 100 firefighters armed with foam battled the blaze for a little more than an hour before getting it under control.
Carlo Paniccia, 37, who owns Casa Building Materials, a few yards from the deadly fire, said he couldn't do anything to save the trucker. "By the time we got from the counter to the front gate, it was too late," he said.
Witnesses said the trucker sped through a yellow traffic light before the load shifted and the tanker toppled.
"We believe at this time that speed was a factor," said NYPD Assistant Chief Thomas Purtell, Bronx borough commander.
The fire forced city transit officials to shut down the No. 6 train between Third Ave. and Parkchester for about two hours. Passenger and freight railroad service along the nearby Amtrak and CSX tracks was knocked out for several hours.
BY BOB KAPPSTATTER and ROBERT F. MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Nightmarish traffic crippled the Bronx after a fuel tanker burst into flames yesterday, sparking a deadly fire that gutted several cars and shut down the Bruckner Expressway through the evening rush hour.
"I looked and there was a big, black cloud," said Jonny Rios, 25, who works at a nearby BP gas station. "A couple of seconds later, the fire was right behind it."
More than 6,000 gallons of fuel spilled from the tanker and ignited just before 2 p.m. on Bruckner Blvd., killing the truck driver - Harbey Muñoz, 46, of Middle Village, Queens - before he could get out of the cab, authorities said.
The 40-foot-high flames appeared to scorch the asphalt of the nearby Bruckner Expressway and singed overhead signs, forcing all lanes of the key artery to be closed indefinitely as city engineers determine whether it's safe.
Bruckner Blvd. also was shut between Hunts Point Ave. and 138th St. after the ignited fuel spilled into the Bronx River and snaked onto Whittier St., torching six parked cars.
"It's a headache," said Michael Miner, 21, of the Bronx, whose five-minute errand turned into a 25-minute ordeal when he got stuck at Bruckner Blvd. and E. 149th St.
Amtrak service between Penn Station and points north also remained suspended last night. More than 100 firefighters armed with foam battled the blaze for a little more than an hour before getting it under control.
Carlo Paniccia, 37, who owns Casa Building Materials, a few yards from the deadly fire, said he couldn't do anything to save the trucker. "By the time we got from the counter to the front gate, it was too late," he said.
Witnesses said the trucker sped through a yellow traffic light before the load shifted and the tanker toppled.
"We believe at this time that speed was a factor," said NYPD Assistant Chief Thomas Purtell, Bronx borough commander.
The fire forced city transit officials to shut down the No. 6 train between Third Ave. and Parkchester for about two hours. Passenger and freight railroad service along the nearby Amtrak and CSX tracks was knocked out for several hours.