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by JENNIFER BAYOT and JANON FISHER
An oil tanker burst into flames this afternoon after overturning on Bruckner Boulevard in the Bronx, bleeding fuel that carried the blaze to a few storefronts, several cars and an Amtrak train line.
One person, most likely the truck's driver, was found dead, said James Esposito, and assistant deputy chief of the New York Fire Department.
The driver has not been identified, and his tanker, which was carrying home heating oil, was burnt beyond recognition. No other injuries were reported.
Mr. Esposito said the three-alarm fire broke out shortly before 2 p.m. at 1344 Bruckner Blvd., a commercial intersection near the Hunter's Point drawbridge and just above Amtrak's Hellgate line.
The blaze shot upward at least 100 feet, leaving a sign for the drawbridge charred and illegible. Down Whittier Street, 10 cars enveloped by the flames burned into black boxes, their tires melted down to the rims. The flames also singed three auto repair shops and Casa Building Materials, a cement supplier.
Angel Rivera, 51, a driver for Casa Building Materials, said he had been driving behind the tanker before it overturned, with the driver still at the wheel.
"He ran the light, he was in a hurry," Mr. Rivera said, adding that the driver appeared to be alone. "He took the turn too fast. He didn't have no chance to get out."
"We heard a boom," he said. "Everybody started to run."
Mr. Rivera said the turn has been tough for others to navigate. "That curb, you can't take more than 35 miles per hour," he said. "Monday we had a Jeep turn over. Every month we have an accident."
While firefighters fought the flames with foam and wet sand, traffic above the accident on the Bruckner Expressway came to a standstill in both directions. It had resumed to a crawl by late afternoon.
With some of its track burnt, Amtrak said that it was suspending service between New York Penn Station and New Haven until further notice and that service would be limited between New Haven and Boston. It directed passengers to the Metro North commuter rail line from Grand Central Station, saying that the line would honor Amtrak tickets.
Though the flames were stamped out, the tanker was still smoldering into early evening, and a blue tarp covered a bundle in the driver's side.
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