The road was damaged by the fire, and the Interstate was closed.
The Troy Police Department in Michigan released a harrowing dashcam video (above) showing a tanker truck crashing on Interstate 75 and bursting into a fireball. The semi’s driver was able to escape the big rig and incurred minor injuries. No one else was hurt, and no other vehicles were involved. At around 1:05 PM Eastern Time, the incident occurred on northbound I-75 on July 12. The video clearly shows that the driver of the tanker truck drove on northbound I-75 at around 1:15 PM Eastern Time on July 12. The cause of the accident is still being investigated by police.
Police closed I-75’s northbound and southbound lanes due to the large-scale fire. The air was filled with thick, black smoke. The semi hauled 14,000 gallons gasoline and diesel fuel. The firefighters used water and foam for around two hours to extinguish the flames. Cleaning up the scene took several hours. The fire caused significant structural damage to Interstate’s pavement. Therefore, the Michigan Department of Transportation shut down the northbound and southern lanes of I-75 until repairs can be made. The agency does not have an estimate of when this section could re-open.
The blackened road can be seen in the photos of the aftermath (above). The intense heat even caused portions of the highway divider to melt. “Conceivably we could have to replace pavement. It’s obvious. It will make the pavement very brittle if you have a fire so hot. It won’t hold up as long as you want,” Rob Morosi, Michigan Department of Transportation , told WDIV News.