Thursday, July 2, 2015

Oxygen/Acetylene welding truck explosion near Franklin Square in Savannah, Georgia


JULY 2, 2015
 
 
Viewer submitted photo.  
Viewer submitted photo.

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - 
 Police have confirmed that a truck exploded near Franklin Square at the east end of City Market. Police have shut down several blocks downtown as they investigate.

Police say the driver of the truck is up and walking around, and no bystanders were hurt. Police said the truck was carrying oxygen and acetylene, gasses commonly used in welding, when the truck exploded. Fire crews are investigating the cause of the explosion. 

Police shut down several downtown streets, including from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Jefferson Street, and from Bay Street to Broughton Street. Fire crews did determine that there was no hazmat situation.

Several bystanders described the explosion, likening it to a huge firework that never left the ground. People who were on River Street said they felt the ground shake when the truck exploded. 

"I was just sitting in the restaurant and right down, just a block away, this big explosion happened," said Spencer Tolley. "Sounded like the windows were going to break. Everyone took off running out of the restaurant, and everyone came running down the street. It was a little spooky because he didn't know if somebody had set something off in this truck, what's going on. I'm right here next to it, so, we're all in this area. It was a lot of chaos."

Police and fire crews continue to investigate. 

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