Denton truck explosion kills 3 on Highway 35 in Texas

A tractor-trailer “exploded” in a major crash on Interstate Highway 35W in Denton, Texas, killing three people, sending three others to the hospital, and forcing the closure of the interstate in both directions.

Denton police said first-responders were were called to the scene of the tragedy before 1:30 p.m. Friday near Mile Marker 84, just south of the 35W/35E split. Four passenger vehicles and two tractor-trailers were involved in the wreck.

Denton truck explosion:
Truck was carrying gas

One tractor-trailer was carrying butane, a highly flammable gas that was the cause of the explosion. Some news agencies reported that the truck was carrying propane, another extremely flammable gas.

In any case, speed is believed to be a factor, a Denton Police Department spokesperson said.

Denton truck explosion:
35 shut down for hours

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of 35W were closed for several hours Friday afternoon, and traffic was diverted at FM 2449 to the south and the I-35 split to the north.

The southbound lanes were reopened at about 4 p.m., and the northbound lanes reopened the next morning.

Denton truck explosion:
Victims unidentified

None of the six people killed or injured in the tragedy have been identified as of Monday.

A Denton truck explosion on Interstate Highway 35 resulted in the death of three people and injuries to three others who were hospitalized. No information was released on the identities of the victims.

California wildfire breaks out
near Warner Bros. studio

From Time.com: Firefighters worked overnight to battle a blaze that broke out Saturday afternoon near the Warner Bros. Studios in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

By 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the Barham Fire had burned through 34 acres and was 15 percent contained, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).

No civilians were reported injured, although one male firefighter was transported to the hospital after suffering a non-life threatening injury to his arm and leg, the LAFD said.

Saturday evening, an LAFD spokesperson said the department had stopped the fire from spreading, sparing buildings.

LAFD assistant chief John Drake, the incident commander, said in a statement that “preliminary indications” suggest there were “no homeless encampments in or around the fire’s point of origin.”

No formal evacuation orders were issued but a “handful of persons living closest to the fire, and being affected by smoke only, were directly contacted and encouraged to shelter in place at their residence,” the LAFD said in an earlier statement Saturday afternoon. At least one person who identified themselves as working on the Warner Bros. lot said they voluntarily evacuated the studio.

California wildfires:
More than 6,400 on record

More than 6,40 fires have been recorded during the 2019 California wildfire season, according to Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. About 250,000 acres of land had burned as of Nov. 3.

Although the 2019 California wildfire season had been relatively quiet  through mid-September as compared to past years, October through December is expected to have the greatest potential to produce wildfires as the Diablo winds and the Santa Ana winds pick up.

In late October, the Kincade Fire became the largest fire of the year, burning 77,758 acres in Sonoma County by Nov. 6.

Massive preemptive public safety power shutoff events have been controversial. PG&E and other power utilities have preemptively shut off power to more than 1 million residents because of a perceived risk of wildfires starting near high-voltage power lines. Because of the blackouts, however, people in areas considered most susceptible to wildfires had trouble getting updates, and life-support equipment would not work without backup power.