Gas Tanker Carrying 8,600 Gallons Explodes on Highway 99 in Fresno County, Both Drivers Survive

A fuel tanker hauling roughly 8,600 gallons of gasoline collided with a box truck on southbound Highway 99 near Selma in Fresno County on Saturday, triggering a fireball and thick black smoke that closed the highway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash happened at Second Street. Video from the scene showed the tanker fully engulfed in flames as firefighters and emergency crews worked to contain the blaze, according to ABC30 News.

Both drivers survived. The California Highway Patrol and ABC30 News reported that each driver suffered only minor injuries despite the scale of the fire.

Investigators believe the crash was caused by an unsafe lane change, according to the California Highway Patrol. The tanker was destroyed by fire and the box truck sustained major damage, though no further details on the vehicles' owners or cargo companies have been released.

Caltrans shut down the affected southbound section of Highway 99 and rerouted traffic to State Route 43 at the Floral Avenue exit while crews cleared the wreckage and extinguished the fire.

No timeline has been given for when the highway will fully reopen. Local authorities have not released the names of the drivers, and no citations or charges have been announced as of Saturday.

Highway 99 is one of the Central Valley's main north-south freight corridors, running through Fresno County and connecting agricultural shipping routes across the region. A shutdown on this stretch, even temporary, forces significant commercial and commuter traffic onto secondary roads like State Route 43.

No additional casualties, injuries to bystanders, or property damage beyond the highway itself have been reported. The California Highway Patrol's investigation into the exact cause of the lane change, and whether either driver will face fault determinations, remains open.