Fiery tanker crash kills driver, burns Maryland homes

A tanker truck has crashed on a Maryland highway and caught fire, killing the driver and damaging other vehicles and homes

Tanker Explosion

A tanker truck overturned on a Maryland highway Saturday in a fiery crash that killed the driver and burned vehicles and homes, authorities said.

The truck crashed on U.S. 15 in Frederick, about an hour's drive west of Baltimore. The roadway was shut down in both directions for an “extended closure,” the State Highway Administration said.

The vehicle was a gas tanker that overturned, hit a tree and exploded, the Frederick News-Post reported. Photos showed massive flames and billowing smoke.

The driver died and the cause of the crash is under investigation, Maryland State Police tweeted. The agency said the fire damaged “multiple vehicles and homes” and no one else was hurt.

A news conference was planned for 3 p.m.