Tanker Bursts Into Flames, Shutting Riverside Freeway

ANAHEIM — A tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline burst into flames Monday night on the Riverside Freeway, shutting down all lanes in both directions and sending flames and smoke visible for 15 miles.

“It is just a huge wall of fire on the highway,” a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said as the fire raged.

The fire started when the tanks fell free from the Mobil gasoline truck as the driver went east near the Lakeview Avenue offramp at 8:11 p.m. The driver was not injured, and rain that made the freeway slick did not appear to be a factor in the accident, said Angel Johnson of the CHP.

For hours, heat from the fire prevented firefighters from getting close enough to begin battling the flames, Johnson said.

“I’m standing here about 150 feet away and I can feel the heat,” Johnson said just after 10 p.m. as the fire continued to burn.

The fire was allowed to burn on the empty freeway for several hours, as the Anaheim Fire Department made plans to bring in specially equipped airport crash trucks with fire retardant foam. The foam extinguished the fire by 11 p.m.

The fire snarled traffic on both the Riverside and Costa Mesa freeways for hours, and there was no indication late Monday when the Riverside Freeway would reopen.

“The best we can say is that we hope to open the roadway before the morning commute,” Johnson said. “It may or may not happen.”

She advised morning commuters to be prepared to take alternate routes, such as Santa Ana Canyon Road or the Orange Freeway.

Johnson said firefighters were concerned that the intensity of the blaze could damage the asphalt on the freeway, further delaying its reopening.

No evacuations of nearby homes were ordered.