Firefighters prevent flaming gas tanker from exploding in Haifa

Firefighters in Haifa succeeded in preventing a large explosion after a gas tanker lit on fire in an accident on Tuesday morning.

A large number of firefighters were called to the scene after a private car and the gas tanker collided early on Tuesday morning. The fire on the tanker carrying 20 tons of liquefied petroleum gas could have led to a massive explosion.

As luck would have it, a special firefighting vehicle entered the force on Monday, with advanced abilities such as a 2,640 gallon (10,000 liter) per minute pump and a water cannon that can reach up to 459 feet (140 meters).

The drivers of the private vehicle and gas tanker were able to escape their vehicles on their own. As the accident happened early in the morning, police and firefighters were able to quickly cut off the scene.
"I want to thank the heroic and brave firefighters who did unprecedentedly professional work, while using the new firefighting vehicle that was brought about thirty days ago with a 150 meter water cannon that acted as a tie-breaker and allowed the extinguishing of the blaze from a distance," said the commander of the incident Hazi Levi. "We prevented one of the great disasters that the State of Israel could experience thanks to the early hour and thanks to the professionalism of the firefighters."