#Truck holding 13,000 gallons of gas crashes on Long Island

A tanker truck holding 13,000 gallons of gasoline crashed into a building, flipped and burst into raging flames on Long Island early Wednesday, according to officials and reports. 

Authorities responded to the crash around 1:15 a.m. at Sunrise Highway between North Centre Avenue and North Park Avenue, according to Nassau County Police.

The tanker slammed into a liquor store, and then a former La-Z-Boy furniture store, News 12 reported. 

“When I came here, there was fire everywhere, the streets, the tanker, the two buildings, and when I looked down Sunrise Highway, there was fire coming out of seven or eight manhole covers,” Rockville Fire Department Chief James Avondet told reporters on scene. “It’s one of the worst things I’ve seen in my 47-year career.” 

A witness told CBS 2 New York he saw the furniture store go up in flames.

“I seen the whole building go up, then second floor collapsed,” Brett Agostini told the outlet. “Then they were trying to put it out, but the fire was just going. Then one thing led to another, now the building is gone.” 

Another witness reported that the flames were at least 60 feet high, and smoke was visible from blocks away, the outlet reported.

Nassau County Police had no account of injuries, but NBC 4 New York reported the truck driver and three firefighters were hospitalized. The extent of their injuries was unclear. 

All lanes of the highway were closed in both directions between North Centre Avenue and North Park Avenue in the aftermath of the crash, authorities said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.