HORRIFIED footage showed a firefighter walking towards a trailer that caught fire on the side of a major highway.
The truck exploded just seconds into the video, transforming into a gigantic mushroom cloud, with flames rising hundreds of feet into the air as New Jersey firefighters ran for cover.
8
8
Firefighters worked tirelessly Monday morning to extinguish the fire, which occurred shortly after a New Jersey bus collided with a truck around 9 a.m. ET.
The truck then hit the sound barrier and went through the wall near the Valley Road exit before exploding.
A video of the incident shows firefighters narrowly escaping the massive eruption.
As flames erupted around the truck, a woman could be heard screaming “Oh my God” in the background.
Heat from the trailer fire reportedly melted an above-ground pool and the vinyl siding of a nearby home.
NERVOUS NEIGHBORS
Residents close to the accident reported seeing a “big” fire and being “very scared” of the flames.
“There were actually several fireballs,” said Anup Patel, a Clifton resident, as reported by CBS New York.
“It wasn’t just a big problem. In the last major problem, we were told to evacuate,” they added.
“I went out to my backyard and there was a big fire. Big, big, big fire. I was so scared,” Jignasha Rana added.
“So I took my children and my mother-in-law and took them to my brother’s house,” they added.
One resident even compared it to the earthquake that hit the New York and New Jersey region in April.
“I felt three explosions in my house. I thought it might have been an earthquake again,” said Clifton resident Mary Ann Zimmerman.
“I heard an explosion, then another explosion as I walked through the door,” explained another neighbor, TJ Cherry.
“They told me to just leave, they told me a truck hit the wall,” he continued.
8
8
“I had a contractor upstairs doing some work and he came down and started banging on the door.
“I thought he was the one making all that noise,” Cherry said.
“He says no, fire under his belt. [So I] I picked up the dog and walked out the door.
“The other explosion happened, [and it] almost pushed me down the stairs,” Cherry added.
FLAME DROP
Tragically, the body of the truck driver, a 55-year-old man from Linden, was discovered after firefighters extinguished the fire.
All 29 individuals on the bus were safe, with no serious injuries reported.
Acting Clifton New Jersey Fire Chief Daniel Collins said he was “very fortunate” that no additional injuries or deaths occurred.
“We try to keep our distance, but you have to get close enough to identify the problem, but stay far enough away to stay safe,” he said, explaining how his crew members, who initially rushed to the scene, managed it. retreat briefly from the megaexplosion.
8
Motorists were immediately diverted off the highway in both directions, causing traffic on the Garden State Parkway.
As of 10pm ET Monday night, portions of Route 3 remain closed in Clifton, but lanes are expected to reopen in the coming days, including:
- One eastbound lane will reopen Thursday night
- Three lanes will remain closed until 5 a.m. ET Tuesday morning
Emergency crews will work through the night to repair and repave damaged portions of the road and guardrail, and to install temporary fencing.
I thought it might have been an earthquake again.
Mary Ann Zimmerman, Clifton resident
Brenntag, the company that owns the truck, said the vehicle was “loaded with flammable, corrosive and non-toxic chemicals.”
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which sent crews to the scene, confirmed that there was “no environmental impact off-site” despite some of the fuel and debris reaching a nearby storm drain.
The Passaic Valley Water Commission, however, informed nearby residents that they “may be experiencing discolored water due to a truck fire in the area.”
“Whenever a fire hydrant is used, the sudden flow of water through the pipe stirs up sediment, which can cause discoloration or low water pressure,” the post statedshared on the group’s Facebook page.
8
8
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24090220/STK171_VRG_Illo_2_Normand_ElonMusk_02.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1 "Elon Musk tells Donald Trump ‘we should not defame the oil and gas industry’")
