0
0
The exploding truck wasn’t an act of domestic terror, Queens police assure rattled residents. Simply a plumber with a few welding tanks. The investigation is just beginning, so it isn’t clear if they had been leaking. Something sparked the blast and officials have a clue what it is.
Plumbing truck explodes
It wasn’t quite a case of “spontaneous” combustion but the truck went off all on it’s own, without anyone planning it to happen.
On Friday morning, November 8, citizens of South Ozone Park awakened suddenly, as the glass in their windows blew in. The orange ball of fire drifting upwards from 133 Street, around 6:45 a.m., wasn’t the rising sun.
Despite all the damage to “several homes and nearby cars” along the “quiet residential street in Queens,” police have no plans to arrest anyone. Fire officials confirm that the explosion and blaze was an ordinary accident, not a crime.
While the owner of the unattended truck has not yet been identified, he’s apparently a local plumber. They may not be able to read a single VIN number and the license plate has melted but they’ll figure out who he is sooner or later. It would be better if he’d just give them a call so they can have a friendly little chat.
The important thing is that no injuries were reported, police told reporters. They’re hesitant to say much about the driver. The outcome of Tuesday’s election could have something to do with that.
New York is a sanctuary state and illegals who’ve been living there in the shadows for decades are suddenly terrified of the promised “mass deportations.” Police are quick to assure the AWOL driver of the truck he’s not in any trouble with them. A spokesperson for the NYPD “stressed” that there was “absolutely no criminality” involved in the blast.
Popping like fireworks
Videos circulating on social media show shocked onlookers “gawking at the burning vehicle.”
As they noticed the “constant popping of mini explosions,” several witnesses speculated that there were “fireworks” in the truck. Nope, FDNY explained, just welding tanks.
According to Deputy Chief George Healy, the explosion appears to caused by “pressurized gas cylinders” kept in the work truck. Welding gases could easily account for all the damage to nearby dwellings and cars.
A contributing factor, Healy notes, was safely handled by the Hazmat team. “At least six homes were left with broken windows, and five vehicles parked near the flaming car were also damaged.”
Without saying whether they actually caused the explosion, fire department investigators relate they found remains of “several lithium ion batteries inside the truck.” Those have been known to start fires.
Whether any of the tanks were leaking or not, a fire started by the batteries could easily cause the cylinders of compressed gas to explode from the heat alone. Which would add a whole bunch of fuel to the fire all at once. That certainly explains the fireball.
