A semi truck that crashed and caught fire killed one person and is now leaking toxic gas.
The crash happened on Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-90 near SR 970 in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington.
Firefighters rushed to the scene of the crash and found a tanker that was upside down and engulfed in flames.
Smoke columns clouded the sky.
The Interstate 90 wreck we passed earlier was deadly & still has the road closed near Cle Elum according to WSP. pic.twitter.com/0wzNRw9ArX
— Nicolle Tonasket (@NicolleTonasket) August 3, 2016
The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office reported that a truck hauling tanks of anhydrous ammonia was involved in an accident with a car. During the crash, four tanks fell off the truck.
The largest of them, containing 1,000 gallons, ruptured and leaked.
Emergency crews were able to extinguish a small fire and reported that the other three tanks are stable.
The Sheriff’s Office told people in homes or businesses within a mile of the scene near the Cle Elm area to close their windows and to turn off air conditioning. The eastbound and westbound Indian John rest areas and neighboring homes are being evacuated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas with pungent, suffocating fumes, used as an agricultural fertilizer and industrial refrigerant. If improperly handled, anhydrous ammonia can be immediately dangerous to life or health. Exposure can be fatal at high concentrations.
Symptoms of exposure include:
- eye, nose, and throat irritation
- breathing difficulty, wheezing, or chest pain
- pulmonary edema, pink frothy sputum
- burns, blisters and frostbite.
A preliminary investigation discovered that the truck driver was traveling west on the freeway, lost control and ran into a median. The truck driver was killed in the crash. It is not yet known if anyone else was injured.
A 22 mile stretch of I-90 is shut down in both directions.
QFox13 reported that the highway is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m. Traffic has been diverted off I-90 between Cle Elum and Ellensburg. Suggested alternate routes are highways SR 10, SR 970, U.S. 97 or U.S. 2.
WSDOT told motorists to expect delays.
The incident remains under investigation.
UPDATE #1 (2:30pm): The eastbound lanes have reopened, but westbound I-90 is still closed at Mile marker 106.
UPDATE: I-90 EB is open @ MP 84, but WB @ MP 106 still closed until collision investigated and cleared. NO ETA. pic.twitter.com/EBxVU9Si03
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) August 3, 2016
UPDATE #2 (4:25pm): Officials are aiming for an 8pm reopening.
@ramblinnan @wsdot_traffic we thought we would get it open by 5 pm, but due to the investigation and clean-up it's looking more like 8 pm.
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) August 3, 2016
Crews on track to reopen westbound I-90 / Cle Elum by 8 pm. Eastbound is open.
— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) August 4, 2016