Two Seriously Injured in Food Truck Explosion on West Street

ALLAN TANNENBAUM / TRIBECA TRIB

A sanitation worker sweeps up behind a burned-out food truck after an accident that caused propane to explode in the truck, according to the Fire Department.

A collision between a food truck and an SUV caused an explosion Monday afternoon that sent two men to the hospital with serious burns and closed busy West Street in Tribeca for two hours.

The two injured men, occupants of a Frites 'N' Meats food truck, were taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Fire Department spokesman Frank Dwyer.

The accident occurred around 3:15 p.m. on West Street just past North Moore Street when the vehicles collided and two of four propane tanks on the food truck exploded, Dwyer said. Police Monday night had no information on the cause of the accident, but it appeared that the truck had hit the rear end of an SUV.

Firefighters were able to remove the two additional propane tanks from the food truck and release the propane safely. Four propane tanks, a gas generator and several gasoline containers had been placed on the side of the road near the truck

Police closed West Street between Canal and Chambers Streets until nearly 5:30 p.m., while officials investigated the accident and worked to remove a ladder fire truck that had gotten stuck on the curb when attempting to turn around.