Fire crews were able to contain the fire, and the cleanup process is now underway, officials said shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Friday/
DESOTO, Texas — Residents in Desoto are being let back into their homes after they were forced to evacuate when a 5,000-gallon diesel fuel tanker caught fire on Friday.
The fire occurred at the intersection of W. Parkerville Road and S. Cockrell Hill Road at around 3 p.m. As fire crews responded to the scene, the City of DeSoto asked residents who live in the area near to evacuate.
Th evacuation zone was bordered by on the west by Keswick Drive, on the north by Summerside Drive, on the east by Elerson Road and on the south by Richard Pittman Drive.
Desoto Fire Department says no other cars were involved in the fire, and that the driver of the tanker was not injured.
Desoto Fire Chief Bryan Southard told WFAA that crews used foam to try and blanket the fuel and get the fire under control.
“One of our biggest concerns is we have storm drains with runoff, so we’re trying to control the runoff,” Southard said. “We don’t want the diesel getting down into the storm drains.”
Southard told WFAA that he did not know how long it would take his crews to fully extinguish the fire and clean up the area. But, just before 6:30 p.m., the City of Desoto lifted its evacuation order.
“All hazards have been mitigated and residents have been allowed back into their homes,” the city stated on Facebook.
Cockrell Hill Road will continue to be shut down for the next three hours for clean up, and the intersection where the fire occurred will still need to be avoided until further notice, according to the city.
This is a developing story, WFAA will update with the latest details.