Fiery Fatal Tanker Truck Crash Forces Fwy Connector to Stay Closed

Smoke and flames from yesterday's deadly crash on the 91E to the 710 North (AP Photo/Thomas McConville)

A fiery crash yesterday evening has caused the connector road between the eastbound Artesia (91) Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway as CalTrans continues to investigate the deadly incident.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter explains: "The truck driver was making the transition from the eastbound 91 to the northbound 710 about 6p.m. Saturday when the tanker plunged off the road and burst into flames, spilling about 8,000 gallons of ethanol," according to the Daily Breeze. The resulting inferno was described by Long Beach Fire Department Captain Jackawa Jackson as a "river of fire" which "poured into the storm drain and a nearby pumping station, shooting flames 20 feet into the air." The fire "melted guardrails and left only the truck's axles and small portions of the cab."