Wouldn't you empty the truck of it's fuel before attempting to upright it?

You would if you were smart. Obviously these guys don't have that quality. The tow truck guys are lucky as hell that the thing exploded the way it did, straight out from the top, otherwise they would have been toast.

Well, they got the truck upright. And how did it tip over in the first place? It was in the middle of a flat, straight road.

It's like someone shot a red barrel!

^eric3579
Looks like it was empty to me. They are more prone to exploding when empty than full. Fumes from the dregs mix with air in the empty tank and create a potentially explosive mix. Empty tankers are routinely flushed out with nitrogen to prevent this from happening.

*fire

Adding video to channels (Fire) - requested by geo321.