NEWS: Tanker truck crash near the Pentagon, page 1

A fiery tanker truck crash in the middle of the night near the Pentagon, shut down highways and reminded many of 9/11. So far, the driver of the truck is the only known fatality. This does not appear to be anything more than a typical transportation accident, but it highlights the danger that hazardous materials shipments pose.

www.cnn.com
ARLINGTON, Virginia (AP) -- A fuel tanker truck crashed near the Pentagon early Wednesday, sparking multiple explosions that sent flames nearly 50 feet in the air and shut down a major highway for several hours overnight. . . .The intense heat charred the roadway and damaged an overpass.

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And:

www.washingtonpost.com...
The truck itself was reduced to a clump of twisted, melted metal.
"You can't even recognize it anymore, it's basically a pile of steel," Arlington County Chief Fire Marshal Carol Saulnier said, describing the truck's condition.

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Apparently this was a fairly spectacular fire that had a number of locals thinking of 9/11. It also highlights the risks that tanker truck traffic can pose, just on a normal traffic related basis, not to mention the whole terrorism angle. Personally, I tend to give tanker trucks a wide berth on the road.

This kind of reminds me of the one from last March that was cause when a car forced a tanker to crash and it melted the bridge

Drive carefully out there this weekend.

Related News Links:
www.washingtonpost.com
www.urbanplanet.org

[edit on 22-12-2004 by Banshee]