Fatal Route 3 fire and explosion — what was the truck carrying?

🔥Route 3 was fully reopened Tuesday morning

🔥The crash claimed the life of a 55-year-old trucker from Linden

🔥The sound barrier will not immediately be replaced

CLIFTON — The truck that went up in flames on Route 3 Monday morning was carrying a load of nearly a dozen different chemicals when the flames decimated a concrete sound barrier and left a truck driver dead, according to officials.

The highway was closed Monday morning after a tractor-trailer caught fire and exploded in the eastbound lanes near Valley Road in Clifton near Route 46. Video showed the intense fire melted siding off the back of a house up against the wall and the front of the truck was burned beyond recognition.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes identified the trucker as Luis Santiago, 55, of Linden. Santiago's truck "clipped" an NJ Transit bus carrying 29 passengers before crashing into the barrier and catching on fire, according to Valdes. None of the passengers were injured.

Video of the explosion posted by the New York Post shows it sending a flaming tire toward a firefighter and hitting a fire truck.

The westbound lanes reopened late Monday afternoon while the eastbound lanes reopened Tuesday morning after the road surface was milled and repaved. The sound barrier will not immediately be replaced.

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“Flammable and corrosive, non-toxic materials"

The city of Clifton, in an update Tuesday, said Brenntag, the company that owns the truck, provided documentation the tractor-trailer was carrying acetic acid, heptane exxon, hexylene glycol, sodium xylene sulfonate, texanol ester alcohol, acetone, triethanolamine, citric acid anhydrous, sodium hydroxide, mineral spirits, and sodium bicarbonate.

The company characterized them as “flammable and corrosive, non-toxic materials" to CBS New York.

The Passaic Valley Water Commission has confirmed the water is safe to drink. There was some water discoloration for customers because heavy use of fire hydrants disturbed sediment, according to the agency. The state Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation are overseeing the cleanup of impacted properties and the roadway.

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