1 dead, several injured in massive gasoline tanker fire on Route 287 in Edison

🔥A gasoline tanker carrying 8,000 gallons burst into flames after a crash on Route 287

🔥One person was killed, 4 total injured, as more than 150 firefighters responded

🔥Interstate 287 and Route 27 closed after the fire spread into nearby woods

EDISON — A tanker carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline collided with another vehicle on Route 287 and went up in flames on Sunday morning, leaving one person dead and two highways closed.

The collision around 5:53 a.m. immediately sent smoke and flames into the air around Exit 2A after a Jeep rear-ended the tanker near Exit 2 (Route 27) engulfing both in flames,  State Police Trooper Christopher Postorino said.

The driver of the Jeep was fatally injured while the passenger was taken to a hospital. Postorino did not disclose the status of the tanker driver or the identities of anyone involved in the crash. The crash remains under investigation by State Police.

Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and Metuchen Mayor Jonathan Busch both said that over 150 firefighters responded to the fire scene. They said a total of four people were injured in the fire.

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Highways closed

State Police closed Route 287 in both directions between Exit 1 (Route 1) and Route 27 between Bridge Street and Route 287 for most of the day.  The southbound lanes of Route 287 were reopened around 11:15 a.m. and the northbound lanes were reopened around 5 p.m.

Both directions of Route 27 reopened around 3:15 p.m.

Busch said that the DEP is monitoring the runoff from the gasoline that spilled out of the tanker. The impacted areas are being handled by DEP crews none of it entered Metuchen.

The fire also spread into the nearby woods along the highway, according to Busch. Metuchen firefighters prevented the fire from spreading towards businesses at the end of High Street.

"I truly cannot overstate how important that effort was in preventing an already very serious situation from becoming even worse for our community," Busch said.

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