PENNSAUKEN, N.J. -- Authorities say a tanker truck carrying roughly 30,000 litres of fuel caught fire on a southern New Jersey highway, spewing thick, black smoke into the sky.

The driver managed to get out of the vehicle and suffered only minor injuries. He and a firefighter were treated at a hospital.

The fire broke out when the truck overturned shortly after 11 a.m. Monday on the Route 90 on-ramp to Route 130 in Pennsauken. It wasn't clear what caused the truck to overturn.

Firefighters dousing the truck with foam and were able to extinguish the blaze within about 30 minutes.

Smoke could be seen 5 miles away, in downtown Philadelphia. Homes near the crash site were briefly evacuated as a precaution.

The Delaware River Port Authority, which oversees the on-ramp, is investigating.