Paramedics helped evacuate more than 30 neighbors; some of whom watched their houses burn. The tanker truck was destroyed and some of the answers to why the driver lost control might be buried in the ashes.
It took nearly a hundred firefighters several hours to contain the blaze. Firefighters said the intense heat literally melted siding off of nearby homes and the amount of gasoline made it difficult to get the fire under control. At one point, the flames rose 30 feet into the air.
Minerva Nicholson and Mike Waters were sprinting to save themselves and their four children and the explosion spread to three houses. The Waters' house was two doors down from the main blast and Mike said he was scared to think about his neighbors.
"Someone died. I knew someone was dying in that house because it went up so fast," Mike said.
One neighbor commented, "We looked up and it was a rain of fire. We were in a rain of fire."
The burning gasoline drained down the street, but authorities said some houses stayed safe because the houses sit up on a grade which might have afforded them some more protection.
The area has been identified as a dangerous intersection. Neighbors said it is ironic that there was already a plan in place to make the bend of roadway less dangerous, but that the plan included knocking down houses on the opposite side of the street that was burned.
Art Caton lives on the other side of the street.
"The houses on our side that are not burning are going to be demolished by the city to make sure this kind of sharp turn accident doesn't happen," he said.
While that plan might change, investigators said their first priority is finding out what caused the accident.
Tuesday's accident is a reminder of a similar accident eight years ago when a tanker flipped on Route 390 near Monroe Community College. The driver was rescued, but later died after suffering serious burns.
Environmental Concerns The accident also raises environmental concerns about the gasoline on the truck that did burn.
Carl Ettenbaugh of the New York Department Of Environment Conservation said, "When there is that amount of gasoline--it doesn't all burn fast enough
