An elevated section of Interstate 95, one of the main US highways, collapsed this Sunday after a large vehicle caught fire, causing thick black smoke and closing that road in both directions.
The damaged highway, Interstate 95 (I-95), serves as a link between major cities on the US East Coast. and millions of Americans use it every day. The highway, with a length of 3,096 kilometers, runs from Miami (Florida) to the border between the state of Maine (USA) and the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
A fuel tanker truck caught fire and exploded beneath Interstate 95, causing the entire northbound overpass to collapse in Philadelphia. Via: @BNONews pic.twitter.com/Uo5tLEltUH
— Edna Jaramillo G. (@EdnaJaramillotv) June 11, 2023
Local televisions showed images of what happened: a large column of black smoke and a part of the road charred with molten iron and the cement smoked by the intensity of the fire.
The incident occurred near the city of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) on an elevated section of Interstate 95, under which A tanker truck that was carrying some type of flammable load caught fire.
Despite the spectacular nature of the event, there were no injuries, Derek Bowmer, captain of the Philadelphia fire department, said at a press conference.
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According to Bowmer, Philadelphia emergency crews responded to the fire around 6:30 a.m. local time (10:30 GMT) and quickly realized that the fire was coming from a large burning vehicle that was located under the freeway.
Bowmer explained that the vehicle fire may have touched gas lines that run underground, which caused small explosions and fires around the highway.
A bridge on Interstate 95, one of the main highways in the United States, collapsed this Sunday after a large vehicle caught fire under it, causing thick black smoke and closing that road in both directions. … pic.twitter.com/sdan5KM9mz
– RNN News (@NoticiasRNN) June 11, 2023
At the same press conference, Philadelphia emergency services director Dominick Mireles expressed concern about the possible “environmental impact” that there may be to the Delaware River, which flows parallel to the damaged portion of the highway.
Philadelphia’s water quality department, which depends on the Delaware River, said Sunday on Twitter that it is monitoring the situation and there have been no negative impacts.
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Authorities urged drivers to avoid the road, which will remain closed to traffic for some time. Brendan Boyle, one of the congressmen representing Pennsylvania in the US Congress, said in an interview on CNN that the repair work could take “months.”
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, was informed of the event and members of his team were in contact with the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, and with the mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, to offer them help, the spokeswoman for the press said on Twitter. the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre.
At the state level, Shapiro said on Twitter that he is coordinating with the authorities of the neighboring state of New Jersey and with the federal government to respond to the situation.
*With EFE
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