A tanker truck loaded with gasoline tipped onto its side on the Long Beach (710) Freeway in Bell on Sunday, sending a plume of smoke seen for miles.
The tanker, which the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline, overturned at about 3:25 p.m. on the southbound side of the freeway near Florence Avenue, authorities said.
The rig’s driver was freed by firefighters but no injuries were reported, county fire dispatcher Cheryl Sims said.
The fire — which grew enough to require a second alarm — was knocked down at 4:15 p.m., Sims said.
No other vehicles were involved, she said.
The crash and fire shut down of all freeway lanes in both directions between Bandini Boulevard to the north and Florence Avenue to the south, the California Highway Patrol said.
Traffic was backed for miles, authorities said.
— City News Service