A tractor trailer hauling chemicals caught fire early Friday morning, bringing traffic on Interstate 70 to a stop for over three hours.
The fire happened on August 18th in Belmont County, Ohio at approximately 2 a.m.
According to WTOV 9, a semi truck was hauling 42,000 pounds of refrigerant west on I-70 near exit 216 when a fire started somewhere near the back brakes of the truck.
Officials with OSHP urge drivers to drive slow and pay attention to the roadway @WTOV9 pic.twitter.com/CynbzX3bKv
— Lauren Healy (@LaurenWTOV9) August 18, 2017
The driver immediately pulled over and called 911.
Crews arrived and began putting the flames out, shutting down the westbound lanes of I-70 for over 3 hours and forcing motorists to just sit and wait.
“Some of them were here so long they fell asleep we had to wake them up in the traffic,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sergeant Todd McDonald.
Crews are working to remove the tractor trailer – officials tell me they hope to have both lanes of traffic open by 8 am @WTOV9 pic.twitter.com/aw3rNJfMCK
— Lauren Healy (@LaurenWTOV9) August 18, 2017
No one was injured during the incident.
McDonald says that the cleanup took so long because crews “had to keep checking the temperature, making sure it’s cooled down enough so they could start loading and unloading the trucks.”
The mess was cleaned up and traffic was running smoothly again by 7:45 a.m.
