Authorities closed the surrounding streets and recommended that about 500 people evacuate their homes after one of the truck's two propane tanks exploded, said Mike Carr, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry.
The voluntary evacuation warning was issued because the truck's other tank remained intact and full of propane, and officials were worried that it too might explode, Carr said. He said no one was injured.
Authorities said the explosion occurred at about 9:30 a.m. as the tanker truck turned around in an industrial area just south of Chico, a tree-lined town about 150 miles northeast of San Francisco that is home to a California State University campus.
The cause of the blast was unknown, although the truck driver told the Chico Enterprise-Record that he saw liquid coming from the vehicle, so he started to run away. Seconds later, the explosion knocked him to the ground, the driver told the paper.
The blast knocked out windows in two nearby buildings and set about five nearby cars on fire, Carr said.
The truck's cab and the exploding tank were both largely destroyed, Carr said, although the truck's other tank remained upright.
Some propane continued to burn after the explosion, and authorities poured water on the intact tank in an effort to prevent it from exploding too, Carr said.
Authorities later interviewed the driver, James Edward Gowen, 40, of Sacramento. Carr said he did not know if Gowen would face charges.
