Food truck explosion update: Man in NE Fresno suffers second degree burns

by Anthony Galavis | Fresno Bee

The Fresno Fire Department is investigating why a food truck exploded in Central Fresno on Friday afternoon.

A Planet Vegan truck caught fire and injured two people – a man and a boy – while standing in a chevron.

The popular food vendor – featuring a trailer pulled by a pickup truck – was parked at its regular location at the gas station at the northeast corner of Shaw Avenue and First Street.

Fresno Fire Department Public Information Officer Jonathan Lopez said Saturday that investigators were investigating the blaze. One of the propane tanks has been known to explode.

“I’m not sure it was the only thing,” he said.

Lopez said about a third of the man’s body had second-degree burns. The boy’s condition is unknown, Lopez said. According to the fire agency, the man is linked to Planet Vegan, but it was not clear whether the boy was also there.

Subsequent photos show extensive damage to the inside and outside of the trailer as well as the pickup.

The metal parts of the food trailer peeled off on one side.

The explosion sent debris flying about 200 feet to the northwest. Fresno Fire said it also broke the window of a vehicle across the street near a Chase Bank branch.

An air pump for the vehicle’s tires and dustbin also caught fire, and a Carl’s Jr sign near the corner turned black. The windshield of the pickup truck turned yellow due to the explosion and fire.