After a car caught fire on Interstate 95 near Philadelphia, a section of the highway collapsed.
There were no recorded casualties.
Officials in Philadelphia reported on Sunday that a section of a major East Coast highway had collapsed after a tanker truck carrying gasoline caught fire under an overpass.
Although no casualties were recorded, authorities warned that the situation is still developing and collapse site was still being searched by investigators.
I-95, the primary north-south expressway extending from Miami through Washington and New York and ending in Maine at the Canadian border, was partially collapsed, and smoke rose from the charred remains of the northbound lanes. The fire rendered the southbound flyover unsafe, thus it was closed to traffic.
In a press conference, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said it will take “some number of months” to completely restore the route, which is used by some 160,000 vehicles every day. He promised that on Monday, federal aid will be made available after he signed a disaster proclamation.
Shapiro said a “petroleum product” was being transported in the tanker, but he would not elaborate. Gasoline, according to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). An NTSB crew was dispatched to the scene.
Even though the Delaware River had a “very light sheen” near where the gasoline tanker caught fire, as described by Shapiro, the spread of the fire was swiftly contained by placing booms in the river.
“There is no threat to anyone’s drinking water,” Shapiro affirmed.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden had been updated on the collapse and that the federal government was offering support to state and local governments.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has indicated that Philadelphia and the surrounding area will feel “significant impacts” from the closure of Interstate 95.
This segment of Interstate 95 runs through Philadelphia’s populous northeast and links the city to its northern suburbs like Bucks County.
It is a common route for summer Sunday afternoon commuters from the Jersey Shore. Traffic to and from Boston, Baltimore, and Washington is heavy during the week.
Officials warned of potential delays and urged commuters to consider using alternative modes of transportation, such as trains.
