State transportation officials said they don't know yet how long the Interstate 75/U.S. 301 interchange will be closed, nor whether there will be any extended closures as a result of today's fiery wreck.
The fire started when the southbound tanker, fully loaded with petroleum products, was involved in an accident with two other vehicle on the interstate and plunged into the southbound lanes of U.S. 301.
Two of the drivers involved in that accident said Thursday's heavy rains contributed to it.
The driver of a gold Ford Dakota, Fernando Aguilera, 29, of Bradenton, said he was merging into traffic after entering the interstate from 301. Accelerating, he started spinning, he said.
The driver of the tanker - so far identified only as a 54-year-old man - tried to avoid him but struck him anyway, then struck another vehicle, a white van driven by Herbert DeGroat, a St. Petersburg resident and mortuary service driver headed to Arcadia to pick up a body.
The tanker then went over the side of the bridge. A series of explosions immediately followed as Aguilera and DeGroat ran for their lives from what would soon be a towering inferno.
Heat from the fire was causing chunks of concrete to fall from the southbound lanes of I-75 onto U.S. 301.
"We may get lucky and get the northbound lanes lane opened. But (Florida Department of Transportation) is evaluating it as we speak," said Bill Hutchison, the county's public safety director.
"Hazmat and EMS and fire responded. We had quite a bit of resources out there," he said. "It's going to be a while cleaning up the mess."
The tanker's driver survived but with severe burns. He was flown to the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital, Emergency Communications Center Capt. Larry Leinhauser said.
The first report of the accident came in to Florida Highway Patrol came in at 4 p.m., and the first troopers arrived at 4:04 p.m.
The Florida Department of Transportation has sent engineers to the crash site to assess the damage, but can't until the Florida Highway Patrol releases the scene, FDOT spokeswoman Lauren Hatchell said at 5:35 p.m.
No additional information about the condition of the interstate was expected this evening.
"We're on hold until FHP gives us the green light," Hatchell said. "Once that happens, we'll go in as fast as we can and go around the clock if it becomes necessary."
Once the clearance is given, engineers likely will assess the structural integrity of the interstate overpass and U.S. 301's pavement, she said. She could not give a timeframe for how long the assessment will take, or when the roads will reopen.
Traffic on 69th Street East, Mocassin Wallow Road, State Road 64 and other detour routes was heavier than usual as drivers bypassed the interchange.
Traffic also was backed up on U.S. 301 as far back as the Erie Road/Old Tampa Road intersection, 2.5 miles east of the accident site, a driver said.
About 83,000 vehicles a day cross over the I-75 bridge, and another 34,000 go underneath it at U.S. 301, according to FDOT data.
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