Tanker Explodes

**Detroitej72** · July-15-09, 07:53 PM

http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story...wo2l2ybSA.cspx

I-75/ 9 Mile...Bridge appears to have collapsed...More to come...

**Whaler** · July-15-09, 07:55 PM

Man this sounds serious..

**Meddle** · July-15-09, 08:00 PM

Always hated that big curve.

**Alley** · July-15-09, 08:03 PM

There are giant billows of black smoke pouring into the sky behind my house [[in Hazel Park). My neighbor went to check it out and said the whole 9mile/75 bridge is on fire. What a crazy day for explosions in Hazel Park. I hope the tanker driver, as well as the other cars involved, fare as lucky as the family who's house on E. Maxlow blew to bits earlier

**Detroitej72** · July-15-09, 08:05 PM

My fiancÃ©e alerted me to it, she was in the area. I'm stuck in Indiana till Friday for work, and this was the last thing I wanted to hear...glad she's OK, hope nobody else was hurt or killed, especially the driver...

**RO_Resident** · July-15-09, 08:06 PM

The 9 Mile bridge was just worked on recently.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=4...45.41,,0,-7.82

**Detroitej72** · July-15-09, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Alley

What a crazy day for explosions in Hazel Park. I hope the tanker driver is as lucky as the family who's house on E. Maxlow blew to bits earlier

There were more explosions?

Smoke is visible from the in-laws in Sterling Heights around 16 Mile and Dodge Park.

**Alley** · July-15-09, 08:14 PM

A natural gas leak caused a house on E. Maxlow to explode in Hazel Park this morning. The house is demolished. A mother and her brother were burned and are at Beaumont Hospital, the 2 year old girl escaped with minor injuries. The father was away at work and the son was sleeping at a friend's house.

**Whaler** · July-15-09, 08:16 PM

Watching channel 4 they are saying that when the tanker exploded the fuel went to the Southbound side and affected cars going south flames very close to a Mobil Oil station

**Meddle** · July-15-09, 08:16 PM

HAZEL PARK, Mich. [[WXYZ) - A tanker truck has exploded in the vacinity of northbound I-75/I-696/Nine Mile Road in Hazel Park, causing a massive fire and explosion. Eyewitnesses say the tanker tried to make it under the Nine Mile overpass but the top of the tanker hit the bridge, causing the explosion. It is not known what the tanker was carrying.

I-75 has been shut down in both directions from the center of the fire. Response teams from Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Ferndale are at the scene.

Multiple sources have told Action News that the overpass has collapsed at the center of the fire. The explosion, according to witnesses, occurred around 8:15 p.m.

Action News crews are on the way to the scene.

Stay with WXYZ.com for the latest information.

I'm thinking I-75/9 Mile/John R. Why are they mentioning 696? Doesn't that come through around 11 Mile?

And why would a tanker be tall enough to hit the bridge?

**yupislyr** · July-15-09, 08:18 PM

The Nite Cam guy on WDIV was saying when he arrived that the bridge actually collapsed shortly thereafter. I would assume from the intense flames.

**rjk** · July-15-09, 08:24 PM

I recall the rash of tanker explosions in the mid 70's. Maybe 1976 or 1977? I think there were 5 or 6 tanker fires in a relatively short period of time in the tri county area. I remember being in the family car one night and seeing the 12 mile and Dequindre intersection lit up from a few mile away.

**Detroit500** · July-15-09, 08:27 PM

How sad, we can only hope that all people are okay and not injured. As of this point, the fire is still burning, and the fire department is unable to get it under control. My thoughts and prayers will be with everyone in the area.

**Alley** · July-15-09, 08:28 PM

The bridge did collapse, and the other side looks like it's going to go, too. 2 confirmed dead so far ?

That bridge is where we ride bikes to look over the freeway. Well, it WAS

**pffft** · July-15-09, 08:28 PM

rjk why were there so many in that time frame, do you know?

**Whaler** · July-15-09, 08:37 PM

Man the smoke has made it'sway to Grosse Pointe Woods In the North Western skies...

**Meddle** · July-15-09, 08:39 PM

It wasn't just '76-'77. It was over a several year period. Most of them were attributed to the second trailer or 'pup' trailer going out of control and taking the main trailer with it. They eventually banned double trailer tankers.

**RO_Resident** · July-15-09, 08:40 PM

I-696 follows 10 Mile in that area.

One thing that is going to suck over the next few weeks for the detour--northbound Woodward north of I-696 has lost two lanes because of a sewer/water project. I'd avoid the area for a while.

**Traxus** · July-15-09, 08:43 PM

Holy fuckin cow, I'm a few stories up around Woodward and Warren and I Watched that column of smoke spread a good five miles across the horizon. It was so big and dense I thought the fire was in Highland Park. It's simmered down now, though harder to tell due to darkness.

Edit, must have been more than five now that i think about it. Wish I had snapped a photo...

**Whaler** · July-15-09, 08:52 PM

they are saying somthing about a Pedestian walkin on 1-75 causing the tanker to Jack Knife

**rjk** · July-15-09, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by ThaFuzz

I wish that frantic, babbling on-site reported for WXYZ would trip and fall into the fire...and take all of the Hazel Park/east Ferndale critters mugging for the camera and ignoring the police with her!

I loved her interview with the guy who drove past the tanker but didn't see the accident. Bunch of nothing, but she then proceeded to speculate about what happened. Edit: She just said the police are getting antsy with her. Screw that, arrest that bitch. Who is she to not listen to a police order?

If you want to be on the local news just call them up and tell them you saw the accident. They'll put you on without a second thought. This is local news at it's worst. Lot of time to fill with no real info.

**Linda from Detroit** · July-15-09, 09:08 PM

What a horrible day for those poor people. Words are inadequate in situations such as this.

**gazhekwe** · July-15-09, 09:09 PM

Someone on WWJ said something about a box of kittens getting loose. I couldn't tell if it was in a pulled over van or in the tanker. Anyway, somehow the guy chasing his kittens caused the tanker to go up the embankment and explode. This contradicts the story about it being under the overpass. Very confusing. Supposedly there were 9000 [[?) gallons of some kind of fuel in the tanker, according to it's driver.

**pffft** · July-15-09, 09:09 PM

A pedestrian was walking on I-75??

**Detroitej72** · July-15-09, 09:10 PM

Originally Posted by Whaler

Watching channel 4 they are saying that when the tanker exploded the fuel went to the Southbound side and affected cars going south flames very close to a Mobil Oil station

Channel 7 is reporting that the tanker hit the top of the bridge...WTF, why don't trucking companies follow the maps and keep tankers lower than the bridges???

I'm sad about the victims, and have much anger toward the trucking companies... do they value human life over their profits???