Firefighters came within a whisker of having a major catastrophe on their hands Wednesday morning after the cab of a tanker truck filled with diesel oil exploded into a ball of fire on Route 1 in Bensalem.
Witnesses on the scene told LevittownNow.com the flames from the blaze came within inches of sparking the tanker part of the truck.
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One of the saddle tanks did blow from the fire spilling about 50 gallons of oil onto the busy Super Highway, Bensalem Battalion Chief Robert Sponheimer said.
The tanker truck was traveling North on Route 1 close to 9:40 a.m when the cab of the tanker caught on fire, Sponheimer said. The fire was most likely caused by a”mechanical failure,” but Sponheimer said an investigation is underway to determine a final cause.
Bensalem Fire Crews responded to the fire quickly as the Trevose Fire Company posted information warning drivers to avoid the area at all costs due to the tanker truck fire.
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Readers on the LevittownNow.com Facebook page also reported that the fire was “put down” quickly.
Officials on the scene reported there were no injuries and were “grateful” they were able to get to the flaming truck just in the nick of time.
