Collision of gas truck and car in Mongolia sets off explosions that kill 3 firefighters

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows the scene of an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows the scene of an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows a building, right, damaged by an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows a building damaged by an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows the scene of an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

This image provided by Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency and posted on Facebook, shows the scene of an explosion in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital, causing an explosion, officials said Wednesday. (Mongolia National Emergency Management Agency via AP)

An aerial view of the aftermath in which explosions were set off after a truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The collision in the Mongolian capital caused a series of explosions that killed some firefighters and injured others. (AP Photo/Odbaatar Boris)

An aerial view of explosions set off after a truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. The collision in the Mongolian capital caused a series of explosions that killed some firefighters and injured others. (AP Photo/Odbaatar Boris)

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas and a car collided at an intersection in the Mongolian capital early Wednesday, causing a massive fireball and a series of explosions that killed three firefighters and injured 11 people, officials said.

Images showed the huge blaze at the scene of the crash outside a shopping center, close to an apartment building and an international school in Ulaanbaatar. The 12-story apartment building caught fire, with firefighters working until early morning to extinguish the flames.

Mongolia’s Emergency Management Office told The Associated Press that a total of three explosions occurred after the crash, the last of which killed the three firefighters. The authority expressed condolences to the firefighters’ families in a Facebook post.

Ten people were taken to a hospital to be treated for burns and another person was being treated at a poison center, authorities said. Forty-three people were evacuated from the burning apartment building.

More than two dozen cars caught fire in the explosions.