BREAKING NEWS: Tanker Explosion Causes Freeway Collapse

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[WSGilcrest]

Tanker truck explosion caused part of the upperdeck of the maze approaching the Bay Bridge to collapse.

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What was initially reported to the California Highway Patrol as a fire at around 3:42 a.m. Sunday quickly escalated to an explosion and roadway collapse on roadway that connects eastbound Interstate Highway 80 to eastbound Interstate Highway 580, according to a California Highway Patrol dispatcher.

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According to the dispatcher, the roadway was destroyed after a tanker caught on fire and exploded, causing the driver to suffer second degree burns.

The tanker was under the overpass.

Chopper11 showed at least two sections of the maze collapsed.

The dispatcher said there is no word on when the roadway will be open and it could be days if not months before traffic resumes as usual on this stretch of road.

Stay with NBC11 and NBC11.com for continuing coverage of this breaking story.

[csvset]

An eleven axle truck carries a 100 ton beam along Altamont Pass Road en route to the Bay Area on Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The beam will replace the steel melted in the MacArthur Maze freeway fire in Oakland on April 29.(Gina Halferty/San Joaquin Herald)

Crane operators hoist a 100-ton concrete beam into place onto the top of two giant concrete columns in the MacArthur Maze. (Erik N. Nelson - Staff)