A heavily traveled section of I-95 collapsed in Philadelphia on Sunday morning after a tanker truck
burst into flames underneath it, police said.
The massive smoky blaze broke around 6 a.m. near the Cottman Avenue exit right beneath a northbound overpass in the Tacony neighborhood. Parts of the overpass were
reduced to rubble as the stretch of the major highway collapsed,
ABC reports.
The highway catastrophe led to all lanes of the interstate being shut down between the exits of Woodhaven Road in northeast Philadelphia and Aramingo Avenue in the Port Richmond neighborhood.
“Today’s going to be a long day,” said Dominick Mireles, director of Philadelphia’s Office of Emergency Management, at a press conference. “And obviously with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, it’s going to be even longer than that. The roadway’s gone.”
Philadelphia Fire Department Captain Derrick Bowmer said the burning truck also led to explosions underground, with flames coming out of manholes that were blown off.
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philly police sergeant, said he was heading to the Philadelphia International Airport on Interstate 95 when he witnessed the black smoke and plumes rising over the highway.
nypost.com
