OHP: Overheated Brakes Blamed For Tulsa County Fuel Truck Fire

Workers have removed the charred remains a QuikTrip fuel tanker which caught fire late Saturday night on Highway 75 west of Owasso.

Troopers immediately shut down the northbound lanes of the highway near 116th Street North.

The OHP said the driver told firefighters he pulled over when he saw flames coming from the back of the trailer.  They said he used an extinguisher to try to put out the fire but quickly gave up when it spread from the tires to the 8,500 gallons of fuel in the tanker.

By the time firefighters from Collinsville, Owasso, Skiatook and Sperry arrived, the entire tanker was on fire.  

Early Sunday, OHP reopened the highway and cleanup crews moved in to remove what was left of the truck and trailer. 

Troopers believe the fire started when the brakes on the rear of the trailer caught the tires on fire.

The OHP says the driver was not injured.

4/10/2016 Related Story: QT Tanker Truck Burns Along Highway 75 Near Owasso

After the Collinsville Rural Fire Protection District responded to Saturday's night's fire, it posted several photos on its Facebook page.  

In the photos, you can see what looks like streams of metal near the wreckage.  A Facebook post explains the tanker had been constructed out of aluminum and it got so hot the aluminum melted and flowed down a nearby hill.