A popular stretch of Interstate 95 in Connecticut will be closed into the weekend for the second time in less than a year after a tractor-trailer carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline burst into a tremendous blaze Thursday morning in Norwalk.
“Emergency crews are still working the scene of the tanker fire on I95. Our police are attempting to divert traffic across the city. We advise everyone to take alternate routes and allow extra time for travel,” Norwalk police noted in a post on X.
According to state police, troopers responded to a report of a crash around 5:30 a.m. involving one or more trucks and another vehicle, resulting in a big fire on I-95 southbound under an overpass near exits 15 and 16.
During a news conference, Governor Ned Lamont stated that no one was gravely harmed.
Lamont, who declared a state of emergency due to the severity of the damage, said on X that both directions of the critical stretch of southwestern Connecticut highway just 20 miles from the New York border will “remain closed through at least Monday” for police investigations, structural evaluations, and interstate and bridge reconstruction.
“The overpass near Exit 15 on I-95 in Norwalk needs to be demolished, and the road needs to be repaved,” Lamont wrote in a message to X.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also confirmed the collision and stated that his team was working closely with officials to clear the roadway as quickly as possible.
“Our roads team is collaborating with Connecticut’s DOT on the tanker fire that has stopped I-95 near Norwalk. Please follow local authorities’ detours and avoid the area whenever possible. “Thank you to the first responders who are fighting the fire and keeping other drivers safe,” Buttigieg wrote on X.
Lamont stated that the state is attempting to establish when the road will be safe to reopen and encourages motorists to take alternate routes.
In April 2023, one person was killed and several others were injured when a truck carrying thousands of gallons of petroleum rolled over on Interstate 95 in Groton.
At the time, Lamont stated that a passenger vehicle tire blew out, causing a “tragic” occurrence in which the tractor-trailer overturned and erupted in flames, spilling approximately 2,200 gallons of fuel into the roadway.