Fuel truck explosion prompts evacuations in downtown Gallup, police say

GALLUP, N.M. (KRQE) – Part of downtown Gallup was evacuated Tuesday morning due to a “potential explosion and fire,” the Gallup Police Department announced on Facebook.

“We were just here at work and we heard this really loud explosion, it shook everything in the store,” said local trading post employee Shundiin Bigman.

New Mexico State Police said they responded to the rail yard at 603 Roundhouse Lane around 10 a.m. in reference to the explosion of a CMV fuel tanker truck.

“The police force was very quick, the fire department responded very quickly,” said Coye Balok, a local business owner.

NMSP later learned there were two CMV fuel tankers on scene. Tanker trucks stopped next to each other to unload diesel. During the transfer, the explosion occurred. One of the CMV drivers was transported to an area hospital and then flown to Arizona to be treated for his injuries. No other injuries were reported and the fire has since been brought under control. Only one tanker was destroyed in the explosion.

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Some roads were closed but have since reopened at 11:40 a.m. Gallup police said traffic on 3rd Street and Maxwell was restricted. All lanes of Highway 66 and Maloney are now open.

“We had a few road accidents, we actually had two because of the explosion, people were speechless and all that. I think that’s why they closed the roads to keep people out,” Bigman said.

NMSP is investigating the cause of the explosion.

Gallup explosion on December 12, 2024, courtesy of Tina K Yazzie-Toledo

Gallup explosion on 11-12-2024, courtesy of Armelia Quam

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