Businesses in Atwater take a hit after tanker truck explosion

Some businesses in Atwater are seeing a decline in sales since a tanker-truck explosion occurred last week in the area of Applegate Road and Highway 99. The popular exit off of Highway 99 remains closed.

As a result of the explosion, businesses in the area, like Starbucks, Panda Express, Togo’s Sandwiches and 7-Eleven were closed for at least one day.

Businesses on and surrounding Bell Lane and Bell Drive depend on travelers passing through to stay afloat, said Kamal Dhaliwal, owner of the Arco Gas Station on Bell Drive. Without the freeway exit being opened there isn’t as many people coming by.

“We’ve been impacted bad,” she said Monday. “All of it has to do with the freeway being closed.”

All major holidays, including Memorial Day weekend, people depend on gasoline to travel, Dhaliwal said. About 40 percent of Arco customers are from freeway traffic, she said.

Looking through her financial records on Monday morning, Dhaliwal said she’s down in sales about 50 percent. Usually during holiday weekends, she said, it’s not unusual to see people in line waiting to pump gasoline.

“I don't think there was anything not impacted,” Dhaliwal said. “I have the cheapest gas in town and there is a reason why I have 16 pumps outside.”

She said it would take the freeway exit to open again for her business to get back on track.

“As soon as it opens I’ll be just fine,” she said. “I don’t think people understand how much we rely on the freeway. The reason why I built this store here is because of the prime location.”

She added: “It’s devastating, we need that exit to survive.”

Panda Express, which had damages to the outside of the building on Bell Lane, has also seen a decline in business, said Regina Azali, training store manager.

“Our sales have been really slow,” she said. “I think when the freeway opens we’ll have more traffic.”

The decline in sales could also be because people might not realize businesses in the area are open again.

As of Monday Panda Express, Togo’s, McDonald's, 7 Eleven, Arco and Starbucks were all open.

There is no time estimate on when the freeway exit will open, according to officials from the California Department of Transportation.

The driver of the truck, 57-year-old Kamkyo Ramon Gnotsavath, was killed in the crash. He was headed to the Arco gas station to deliver 8,600 gallons of gasoline when he overturned while exiting, causing the trailer to “whip” behind the truck and into the on ramp side of Bell Lane.

The day of the explosion, May 23, witnesses told investigators the truck was already on fire. When the truck exited the freeway it burst into flames, sending a massive billowing cloud of thick black smoke into the air.

Multiple explosions were heard as customers and employees in nearby fast food restaurants evacuated the area.

This story was originally published May 29, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Businesses in Atwater take a hit after tanker truck explosion."