An 18-wheeler was apparently cut off while heading west, authorities said. It then hit a pickup truck, plowed into a median wall and overturned.
The impact tore a 100-yard gash in the chain-link wall, and the tank was thrown onto the eastbound side of the highway.
The tractor stayed on the westbound side, where one of its fuel tanks broke open and caught fire. The tanker part of the truck was empty, increasing the possibility of an explosion. Firefighters extinguished the fire with water and foam.
Police say the tanker and pickup drivers suffered minor injuries.
The expressway reopened after being closed for more than five hours.
