Oxygen tanks explode in Glen Ellen crash

The explosions blew the roof and side off of a medical supply van, following a crash on Warm Springs Road.|

Exploding oxygen tanks in a medical supply van following a crash Tuesday on a Glen Ellen road sparked a fire that threatened nearby property before it was controlled, according to fire officials.

The force of the explosions blew the roof and right side off the Ford Econoline Van, said CHP Officer Steve Fricke.

No one was injured. The explosions followed a rear-ender crash at 1:40 p.m. on Warm Springs Road, west of Saddle Road.

Van driver Lee Baker, 41, of Berkeley, saw the slowing Ford F-150 pickup in front of him but couldn’t stop in time to avoid hitting the truck, Fricke said. Driver Julio Chimal, 48, of Boyes Hot Springs, had been stopping to make a left turn into a driveway but the impact pushed his truck to the right into an olive tree.

When the van’s engine caught fire, Baker tried to put out the flames with an extinguisher but they spread into the van, exploding the pressurized oxygen containers, Fricke said.

Multiple people reported the crash and hearing explosions. A Glen Ellen fire engine arrived in three minutes and firefighters reported the van fire could spread to grass and nearby buildings. Sonoma Valley, Kenwood and Cal Fire agencies also responded.

No one was injured, Fricke said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.

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