SUGAR LAND, Texas—Authorities had a huge mess to clean up overnight after an 18-wheeler caught fire, causing a diesel fuel spill and a power outage in Sugar Land, according to police.
A big rig driver for the Texas Trans Eastern trucking company was traveling southbound on the Southwest Freeway around 11:30 p.m. when he said he heard a noise and pulled onto the feeder road near Dairy Ashford to investigate, Sugar Land police spokesperson Doug Adolph said.
The driver got out of the truck and discovered his back wheels were on fire.
The flames spread quickly, destroying the truck and causing about 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel to spill onto the ground. A large portion of the fuel also spilled over into the sewer system which runs under Highway 59.
The flames also spread to power lines above the truck, causing a few power outages.
CenterPoint Energy quickly restored power to the affected areas.
Portions of the freeway were shut down several hours until crews cleared charred debris and made sure the fuel that spilled into the sewer did not ignite.
