A truck loaded with construction rebar crashed into a Total gas station on Av. Prolongación 27 de Febrero, in western Santo Domingo on the afternoon of Thursday, 23 February 2017. The ensuing fire caused several injuries and badly damaged the fire station and around 15 vehicles.
Jose Antonio Segura Feliz, chief of the Santo Domingo West Firefighters, said that 4 SUVs, 2 freight trucks, three cars, six motorcycles and the gas station itself were seriously damaged. He said to put out the blaze, eight units from the National District and Villa Linda were employed. The fire was brought under control a short time after the firetrucks arrived.
The injured were assisted by 911 Emergency System that took these to the Marcelino Velez Public Hospital in Herrera. Four people were injured at the gas station, including two seriously burned — Telvis Altagracia Santos and Jairo Benito. Benito was transferred to the burn unit at the Ney Arias Hospital.
V Energy, operator of Total gas stations in the country, in a press release, confirmed the accident happened at their Renacimiento station. The company said the fire did not cause a fuel spillage, nor are environmental damages reported.
The fire was caused by a truck that impacted a vehicle that crashed into others that were being refueled, generating the fire that spread throughout the gas station requiring the intervention of the firefighters.
7 Dias reported that the truck driver blamed the accident, which occurred at 2:15 PM, on brake failure.
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Diario Libre
7 Dias
24 February 2017
