Tanker truck falls from Florida highway overpass; burning wreck snarls Interstate 95 traffic

Monday, November 6th 2006, 11:13 am

By: News On 6

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. (AP) _ A fuel tanker truck plummeted from a highway overpass onto a parking lot Monday, igniting a fire that killed one person and forced the evacuation of a school, authorities said.

Crews used fire-retardant foam to contain the blaze, which closed a section of southbound Interstate 95 and backed up rush hour traffic.

A body was found in the truck and authorities were ``pretty certain'' it was the driver, Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Elizabeth Calzadilla-Fiallo said.

The crash happened about 9 a.m. The truck plunged onto the parking lot of St. James Catholic Church, and about 300 children were evacuated from the church's school and day care center, Calzadilla-Fiallo said.

The children were later allowed to return.

The state Department of Transportation and other agencies were checking the overpass to see if it was safe for traffic.