Flames devour truck, burn painters

INDIANAPOLIS -- Rush-hour motorists watched in horror as a cargo truck burst into flames on a busy freeway, burning more than a dozen members of the painting crew inside, most of them critically.\nWitnesses to the accident Tuesday reported seeing a cargo door at the rear of the truck open and occupants making the choice between jumping onto the city's outer loop or getting badly burned. None jumped.\nAfter the truck stopped, the men in the back piled out screaming, said witnesses who stopped to help. The fire burned the clothes and shoes off some of the painters and left their skin in shreds. Two passers-by poured bottled water on the men to soothe their burns until ambulances arrived.\nThe truck was southbound on Interstate-465 near the Indianapolis International Airport when the fire began.\nThe flames started when a cigarette ignited fumes from paint thinner or lacquer thinner, which burst into flames, said Michael Olinger, medical director of Wishard Ambulance Service.\nThe number of victims overwhelmed Wishard Memorial Hospital's burn unit, and seven were taken to Methodist Hospital. Two later were flown to a burn center in Fort Wayne.\nTwelve of the men were listed in critical condition Tuesday night. Five of the six men at Wishard had second- and third-degree burns over 60 to 90 percent of their bodies.\nSome had life-threatening injuries. Eight of the 13 patients were on ventilators, Olinger said.\n"It's going to be a long-term recovery in the burn ward. And depending on how many skin grafts are needed, we're looking at a considerable amount of time at the hospital and potentially some fatalities," Olinger said.\nFour people riding in the cab were unhurt.\nThe victims' identities were not immediately known, state police said. The truck belonged to RPT Painting Co. of Franklin. Everyone inside was an employee of the company.\nState police Sgt. Ray Poole said it did not appear that it was a violation for the men to be riding in the back of the truck.\nThe workers were sharing the truck because another of the company's trucks had broken down, said Trooper Andy Shank.\nThe truck's driver, Gary Smith, initially heard a commotion coming from the back of the truck. He and the three other riders in the cab at first thought the riders in the back were fighting, police said.\nWhen Smith pulled over, he realized the truck was on fire. After Wayne Township firefighters put out the blaze, only a scorched shell of the vehicle remained.\nThe fire caused a 10-mile backup in the southbound lanes of I-465 during the afternoon rush hour.