A fuel tanker collision and explosion on the 105 Freeway near the Los Angeles International Airport caused two deaths and prompted all lanes to close in the early hours of Aug. 24.
Tanker Truck explosion on the 105 freeway #CBSLA @abcnews #abcNewsEyewitness @LACOFD @StephatCBS2 pic.twitter.com/4C8PQhu8Bz
— Keith Landers (@KeithKlanders) August 24, 2018
The double-tanker truck reportedly collided with an SUV and hit the center divider on the westbound side of the freeway at around 5:00 a.m. near the Crenshaw Boulevard exit in the city of Hawthorne, according to the Orange County Register.
Gasoline from the tanker spilled onto the freeway and caught fire, prompting the explosion. The fuel was reported to have spread across all lanes and into the brush on the shoulder, and firefighters quickly rushed in to keep the fire from reaching nearby structures.
The two drivers of the vehicles were said to be the victims of the crash.
#LA #Hawthorne The NB & SB 110 Fwy connectors to WB 105, and the NB & SB 405 Fwy connectors to the EB 105 Fwy are closed due to a tanker truck vs veh resulting in a tanker fire. Duration is unknown. #traffic #alert #sigalert pic.twitter.com/0lQY1w9TQd
— Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) August 24, 2018
Meanwhile, Metro train service was disrupted along the Green Line between the Hawthorne/Lennox and Vermont/Athens stations due to the tanker fire on the freeway, and buses were sent to transport people around the closed area.
Many people who were traveling to work or to the LAX airport were stuck on the freeway. Stranded food trucks could even be seen setting up shop and opening to allow the commuters to buy breakfast.
Update: The Eastbound lanes of 105 Freeway in Hawthorne have reopened after a fiery crash that killed two closed the highway in both directions early Friday morning https://t.co/YQrnUsxyaY pic.twitter.com/eNdqOKHPIa
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 24, 2018
The eastbound lanes of the 105 reopened at about 8:00 a.m., while the fuel cleanup and freeway inspection in westbound lanes continued for hours.
UPDATE: #HawthorneIC #Hawthorne Resources are assisting with offloading fuel from the second tanker. pic.twitter.com/v8VdrvcQji
— LACounty Fire PIO (@LACoFDPIO) August 24, 2018