Firefighters struggled to extinguish a hazmat fire on Interstate 40 after a two semi crash sent both tractor trailers up in flames.
It happened on Sunday, August 13th on Interstate 40 at approximately 6:15 p.m.
According to the Flagstaff Fire Department, Summit Fire department responded to reports of a wreck between two semi trucks that had erupted into flames near mile marker 217 on westbound I-40. Officials arrived to find both trucks fully on fire, one of them hauling hazardous materials.
The first semi was extinguished quickly, but the truck hauling the chemicals posed more of a challenge. Officials were not at first aware of what chemicals may be housed in the tractor trailer, and so were unable to immediately extinguish the fire, as many chemicals react negatively to water.
Hazmat crews from the Flagstaff fire department were able to determine that the chemicals were a type of insecticide that did not react with water and firefighters were able to extinguish the inferno at around 2:30 a.m., over 8 hours later.
There were two minor injuries sustained in the incident. Both individuals were transported to a nearby hospital.
Traffic was backed up on both sides of I-40 for nearly 10 miles at one point while crews worked at quenching the flames and clearing the wreckage from the road. The roadway has since reopened.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Summit Fire Department released this footage from the scene.