Orange Freeway Closed as Truck Flips, Spills Jet Fuel : Rush-Hour Drive Turns Nightmare

A double-tanker truck flipped at the height of the morning rush hour today on the rain-slick Orange Freeway in Anaheim, spilling more than 2,000 gallons of jet fuel, prompting the evacuation of several nearby businesses and snarling traffic for miles in both directions.

The 8 a.m. accident between California 91 and Orangethorpe Avenue was just the worst episode during a troubled morning on the roads and freeways of Orange County, as a rush-hour rainstorm turned the drive to work into a motoring nightmare.

Authorities reported numerous fender benders and traffic jams throughout the county, but no major injury accidents. Luckily, the rains that prompted the hellish commute were expected to roll out of the region by later this afternoon, easing the burden on motorists making the trip home.

Crews from the county’s hazardous materials team worked through the morning and into the afternoon to mop up the mess left when the tanker truck rolled over, shutting down the northbound lanes of the freeway and prompting authorities to divert traffic onto surface streets.

The cleanup operation was not expected to be completed and the freeway reopened until mid-afternoon, authorities said.

Escapes Serious Injury

Despite heavy traffic at the time of the crash, no other cars were involved and the driver of the truck escaped without serious injury, according to Officer Keith Thornhill, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.

Bernard Smith, 36, of Carson told authorities he was driving the tanker truck from the Artesia Freeway onto the northbound California 57 at about 20 m.p.h. in a light rain when a car swerved in front of him, Thornhill said. The truck driver locked his brakes, causing the big rig to weave and then flip, sending the rear tank-car into a storm drain ditch at the side of the highway.

Thornhill said at least 2,000 gallons of JP-5 jet fuel leaked from the two tanker trailers, which ruptured in the crash. The fuel was leaking heavily after the crash, most of it pooling in the storm drain, authorities said.

Warehouse Workers Evacuated

Workers in three or four warehouses near the freeway were ordered to evacuate as crews began the process of cleaning up the spilled fuel and pumping out what remained in the two upended tankers, Thornhill said. An evacuation center was set up at a nearby high school gymnasium.

Although the jet fuel is only about as explosive as diesel fuel, crews planned to take extra precautions during the mop-up operation, shooting foam into the tanks to keep down vapors that could spark an explosion, he said. In addition, both sides of the freeway were to be shut down during the dangerous process of sucking the fuel from the tankers.

Authorities from a variety of agencies were on hand to monitor the cleanup, among them the state Fish and Game Department, the Coast Guard and county health officials.

Staff Writer Sonni Efron contributed to this story.