WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- A fuel tanker truck exploded into flames in the northbound lanes of I-95, not far from Palm Beach International Airport, between the Southern Boulevard and Forest Hill Boulevard interchanges.
As a result, the northbound lanes of the freeway were being closed at Forest Hill Boulevard until about 6:10 a.m. when two lanes were opened.
Southbound lanes, which were closed for about 45 minutes, were back open to traffic by 2:15 a.m.
The driver of the tanker truck, Jimmy Hill, says he was in the process of delivering a full tank of gasoline when he couldn't avoid a station wagon that was disabled in the middle of the freeway.
The next thing he knew the entire tanker was in a ball of flames, and he had seconds to get out and get to safety.
He managed to rescue one of his two springer spaniels, Jubilee, but was not able to get the other, Jesse, who was seen running away.
See the slideshow to look at the photo of Jesse, the missing dogThe incident happened about 1:20 a.m. just south of Summit Boulevard.
The resulting explosion turned the tanker truck into a giant fireball, as seen by NewsChannel 5's exclusive Hilton Airport camera at P.B.I.A.
The fire was still burning more than an hour after it started, and fire officials worried the fuel would continue to burn for several hours. But a special fire fighting truck from P.B.I.A., known as the Dragon, was called to the scene, and its special foam suppressant was used to extinguish the flames by 3:30 a.m.
Jimmy says he was lucky to have only received some burns on his left arm. He was more concerned about finding his other dog, Jesse.
West Palm Beach Fire Rescue's special HazMat unit has been working to recover and clear the remaining gasoline that flowed from the tanker into a nearby retention area.
The three left lakes of northbound I-95 are open for traffic, but the two righthand lanes will remain closed until the lanes receive a new coating of asphalt this morning.
