WFAA
Posted on August 23, 2012 at 3:20 AM
Updated today at 4:17 AM
Wills Point, Texas
WILLS POINT, Texas — A freight train crashed into a fuel tanker truck early Thursday morning, sparking an explosion.
The Van Zandt County Sheriff's office said the crash happened around 1:30 a.m. at the Lybrand Street crossing along Highway 80.
A Love's fuel tanker got stuck on the tracks moments before it was hit by the Union Pacific train.
The crash sparked an explosion that rattled nearby homes in the small town of 4,000, witnesses said.
A two-block area around the fiery wreck was evacuated as a precaution. Roads into the town 46 miles east of Dallas were also being closed, authorities said.
The truck's driver and the train's conductor were not seriously injured.
The Wills Point Fire Department was getting help from Canton, Grand Saline, Fruitville, Terrell, Elmo, Edgewood and Van Zandt County.
Love's is an Oklahoma City-based company with more than 280 retail sites in 39 states.
According to the Wills Point Chamber of Commerce website, the railroad has been an integral part of the town since it was founded in 1873.
Stay with News 8 and WFAA.com for the latest on this developing story.
|
