An elevated section of Interstate 95 collapsed early Sunday in Philadelphia after a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo caught fire, indefinitely shutting down a heavily traveled segment of the East Coast’s main north-south highway, authorities said.
Transportation officials warned of lengthy delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area in the northeast corner of the city.
Authorities said the tanker truck contained a petroleum product that could have been hundreds of gallons of gasoline. The fire took about an hour to bring under control.
The northbound lanes of I-95 were gone and the southbound lanes were “compromised” from the heat of the fire, said Derek Bowmer, battalion chief with the Philadelphia Fire Department. Runoff from the fire or perhaps ruptured gas lines caused underground explosions, he added.
Some sort of accident occurred on a ramp under northbound I-95 around 6:15 a.m., said Brad Rudolph, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, and the northbound section above the fire quickly collapsed. The southbound lanes were severely damaged, “and we’re evaluating it now,” Rudolph said.
A view of the collapsed portion of Interstate 95 near the Cottman Avenue exit in Philadelphia, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
Gov. Josh Shapiro, who said Sunday night he planned to issue a disaster declaration Monday to expedite federal funding, said at least one vehicle remained trapped under the collapsed road. “We are still working to identify any individual or individuals that may have been trapped in the fire and collapse,” he said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Video from the scene showed that a huge concrete slab had fallen from I-95 onto the road below.
Shapiro said his flight over the area showed “just remarkable devastation.” “I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorist that was on I-95 was hurt or killed,” he said.
Early this morning, a vehicle on fire under I-95 in Philadelphia caused part of the highway to collapse.
While this is still an active scene, I completed an aerial view of the site and was briefed by first responders, transportation and law enforcement experts on the ground with @PhillyMayor. pic.twitter.com/g4rHy5NTMM
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GobernadorShapiro) June 11, 2023
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city’s airport when he noticed thick black smoke billowing over the highway.
As he passed the fire, the road below began to “sag,” creating a noticeable depression that was visible on video he took of the scene, he said.
He saw traffic stop in his rearview mirror. Soon after, the northbound lanes of the highway collapsed. “It was crazy timing,” Fusetti said. “For it to bend and collapse so quickly, it’s pretty remarkable.”
The collapsed section of I-95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that was completed four years ago, Rudolph said. There was no immediate timeframe for reopening the highway, but officials would consider “a fill situation or temporary structure” to speed up the effort, he said.
Motorists were sent on a 43-mile detour, which was going “better than a weekday,” Rudolph said. The fact that the collapse occurred on a Sunday helped ease the congestion, but he expected traffic to “back up significantly in all detour areas.”
Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Michael Carroll said the segment of I-95 carried approximately 1,60,000 vehicles per day and was probably the busiest interstate in Pennsylvania. He said work would continue overnight to remove the collapsed section as quickly as possible.
Shapiro said he had spoken directly with US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and had been assured there would be “absolutely no delay” in getting federal funding quickly to rebuild what he called a “critical highway” in the way safest and most efficient possible.
Closely monitoring the fire and collapse on I-95 in Pennsylvania. I have been in contact with the FHWA and have spoken with Governor Shapiro to offer any assistance that USDOT can provide to help with recovery and rebuilding.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) June 11, 2023
But Shapiro said the full reconstruction of I-95 would take “a few months” and, in the meantime, officials were looking for “interim solutions to connect both sides of I-95 so that traffic would go through the area.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a Twitter post that President Joe Biden was briefed on the collapse and that White House officials were in contact with the offices of Shapiro and the mayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney to offer assistance.
The President has been briefed on the collapse and White House officials have contacted the offices of Governor Shapiro and Mayor Kenney to offer assistance.
—Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) June 11, 2023
Buttigieg, in a social media post, called it “an important artery for people and property” and said the closure would have “significant impacts on the city and region until rebuilding and recovery is complete.” The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate the fire and collapse.
Most drivers traveling along the I-95 corridor between Delaware and New York City use the New Jersey Turnpike instead of the segment of the interstate where the collapse occurred.
Until 2018, drivers did not have a direct freeway connection between I-95 in Pennsylvania and I-95 in New Jersey. They had to use a few kilometers of surface roads, with traffic lights, to get from one to the other.
Officials were also concerned about the environmental effects of runoff into the nearby Delaware River.
After a glow was seen in the Delaware River near the collapse site, the Coast Guard deployed a boom to contain the material. Ensign Josh Ledoux said the tanker had a capacity of 8,500 gallons, but the contents did not appear to be spreading into the environment.
“As far as the waterways are concerned, they are contained and things appear to be under control,” he said.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete were piled up on top of the fire site, and heavy construction equipment would be needed to begin removing the debris, said Dominick Mireles, director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
The fire was strikingly similar to another fire in Philadelphia in March 1996, when an illegal tire dump under I-95 caught fire, melting guardrails and deforming the pavement.
The highway was closed for several weeks, with partial closures lasting six months. Seven teenagers were charged with arson. The landfill owner was sentenced to between seven and 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $3 million of the $6.5 million repair costs, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
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