PHILADELPHIA — Multiple lanes of Interstate 95 northbound in Philadelphia have collapsed after a tanker truck fire erupted underneath an overpass.
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. underneath I-95 near the Cottman Avenue exit in the Tacony section of the city.
Fire officials stated the flames were under control by Sunday evening.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stated in a press conference that the northbound lanes have completely collapsed, and the southbound lanes are unstable.
You can watch the full press conference here:
“As has been reported, the northbound side of I-95 has completely collapsed and the southbound side is not structurally sound to carry any traffic over it,” said Shapiro.
All lanes of the highway are shut down between the exits for Woodhaven Road in Northeast Philadelphia and Aramingo Avenue in the Port Richmond section.
Officials said they expect reparations to be underway for several months on the highway.
“We expect that to take some number of months. We expect it to take that time,” said Shapiro. “And we will have that specific timeline set forth once the engineers and PennDOT have completed their review to expedite this process and to cut through the red tape.”
A Disaster Declaration is also expected to be enacted on Monday in order to address the highway’s reconstruction, according to Shapiro. The declaration will pull federal funds towards the highway.
There has been no word on any injuries that may be at the scene. Gov. Shapiro stated in the press conference that at least one vehicle is stuck in the rubble.
Shapiro also stated that the truck was carrying a petroleum-based product when the fire began.
“Preliminary reports indicate that a commercial truck carrying a petroleum based product was the source of the fire,” he said. “We’re still working to identify any individual or individuals who may have been caught in the fire and the collapse.”
It’s not yet known if the driver was still in the truck when the fire began.
Explosions could be heard in the area as the fumes seeped into manholes.
“Just really loud pops and it’s, like, a little louder than gunshots,” said Tacony resident Brian Kelly. “Almost like M80s. Little fireworks.”
Everyone is being asked to avoid the scene.
“It smells like burning plastic mixed with, like, if you’re standing right behind a car and it’s blowing fumes in your face,” said Tacony resident Sierra Jones.
Officials say the extent of the damage means this is a situation that will impact the region for a long time to come.
“Today’s going to be a long day. Obviously, with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, it’s going to be even longer,” Dominick Mireles, the director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete were piled atop the site of the fire, he said, and heavy construction equipment would be required to start to remove the debris.
Multiple agencies were involved in the response to the crash, with some initially expressing concern regarding the runoff due to the proximity to the Delaware River.
Officials stated on Sunday night, however, that the water would be safe for city residents to use and consume.
Video from people who were driving on I-95 before the collapse are shocking. One woman took video from her Lyft ride at 6:21 a.m. The road collapsed about one minute later.
Other videos show the road starting to buckle.
One of those videos was taken by Lisa Taormino of Langhorne, Pa. She said she was on her way to work and, by the time she realized the smoke and flames were on the highway, it was too late.
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She was surrounded and her car dipped down into the road
“You can see flames coming up on the right hand side through all this black smoke… and the left hand side was worse,” she said. “But the car in front of me really dipped down far.”
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city’s airport when he noticed thick plumes of black smoke rising over the highway.
As he passed the fire, the road beneath began to “dip,” creating a noticeable depression that was visible in video he took of the scene, he said.
He saw traffic in his rearview mirror come to a halt. Soon after, the northbound lanes of the highway crumbled.
“It was crazy timing,” Fusetti said. “For it to buckle and collapse that quickly, it’s pretty remarkable.”
Officials are treating the accident as a hazmat situation. Health officials will determine the environmental impact.
Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Shapiro issued statements saying that they are closely monitoring the accident.
The collapse will have “significant impacts” on the city and region until reconstruction is complete, Buttigieg wrote in a later tweet.
“This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete,” Buttigieg tweeted. “Our department will be there with support throughout the process of I-95 returning to normal.”
Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to offer federal support and assistance following the partial collapse.
“The I-95 corridor is a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and FHWA has offered support and assistance to state and local officials to help them safely reopen this section of I-95 as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The NTSB, in coordination with the Pennsylvania State Police, is sending a team to conduct a safety investigation into the tanker truck fire and the collapse.
DETOURS AROUND I-95 COLLAPSE IN PHILADELPHIA
Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia Police, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have established the following detour around the I-95 collapse:
I-95 Southbound:
- Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 South, 76 East, 676 East
I-95 Northbound:
- I-676 West, I-76 West, U.S. 1 North to Route 63 East (Woodhaven Road)
Officials also announced they will launch a website to provide updates on the highway’s reconstruction as well as detours.
SEPTA officials also stated that subway and train services will be an alternative solution for commuters.
SIMILARITIES TO 1996 FIRE ON I-95 IN PHILADELPHIA
The fire was strikingly similar to another blaze in Philadelphia in March 1996, when an illegal tire dump under I-95 caught fire, melting guard rails and buckling the pavement.
The highway was closed for several weeks, and partial closures lasted for six months.
Seven teenagers were charged with arson and the dump’s owner was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $3 million of the $6.5 million repair costs, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
More recently in Atlanta, a massive fire collapsed an elevated portion of Interstate 85, shutting down the heavily traveled route through the heart of the city in March 2017. A homeless man was accused of starting the blaze, but federal investigators said in a report that the state transportation department’s practice of storing combustible construction materials under the highway increased the risk of fire.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
