extreme Catholic 

A tanker truck carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline overturned on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway yesterday at midday and burst into flames, shooting a geyser of fire over a bustling Queens thoroughfare, sending screaming pedestrians fleeing, and closing the expressway in both directions, the authorities and witnesses said.

Nearby stores, houses and other buildings were evacuated as more than 100 firefighters fought the two-alarm blaze, which burned for two and a half hours and weakened the steel beams on an unfinished temporary bridge over the highway, causing part of it to collapse onto the burning tanker and the charred expressway.

There were no serious injuries. The driver of the tanker escaped the fire and was treated for minor injuries by paramedics.

The accident, which occurred just before noon as the eastbound tanker was crossing under Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside, caused major traffic disruptions. Besides closing the expressway throughout most of Queens, officials shut down service on the No. 7 train, which runs on elevated tracks above Roosevelt Avenue.

With multiple explosions happening, people were running towards the scene rather than away from it.

As of the time of this posting, there were no injuries.

Today I was home for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

One young person when asked what Dr. King did, answer "He did what he had to do." I don't know if that is just a cliche or there's insight in that response.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:35 PM   Permalink