A portion of the northbound lanes on Interstate-95 (I-95) collapsed early Sunday morning following an explosion caused by a burning tanker truck, Philadelphia city officials announced.
The tanker truck reportedly caught fire underneath the I-95 overpass in a shocking incident that led to a portion of the busy highway crumbling. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.
“All lanes of I95 closed in both directions between Woodhaven and Aramingo exits due to fire/road collapse. Other streets closed for the response. Avoid area. Plan and seek alternative travel routes,” said Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
WATCH:
#BREAKING: A Fuel Tanker has caught fire and exploded underneath Interstate highway 95 causing the entire northbound overpass to collapse ⁰
#Philadelphia | #PA
Currently, multiple emergency crews and other emergency agencies are on scene to a major fire after a fuel… pic.twitter.com/qfmRNfqOPa
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 11, 2023
I-95 overpass near Philadelphia has collapsed.
A tanker fire is to blame.
“Could bring traffic on the East Coast to a halt.”pic.twitter.com/J1icghlDLQ
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 11, 2023
“We did have a collapse of 95 on the northbound side, and the southbound side is compromised by heavy fire,” Derek Bowmer, battalion chief for the Philadelphia Fire Department, said during a news conference Sunday morning per CNN. “It looked like we had a lot of heat and heavy fire underneath the underpass.”
Bowmer speculated that “runoff of maybe some fuel or gas lines that could have been compromised by the accident” contributed to the explosions that occurred near the highway collapse.
“We have fire coming out of those manholes,” Bowmer said.
Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) issued a statement following the incident:
“I was just briefed by @PEMAHQ, @PennDOTNews, and @PAStatePolice on the I-95 fire and collapse in Philadelphia. State Police and PEMA are on the scene assisting local first responders and @PennDOTSec and his team are en route to assess the situation and address traffic needs.
“@LTGDavis and I are closely coordinating with partners in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and the federal government and we will share more information as we have it. For now, please avoid the area and follow the direction of the first responders on the scene.”
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