Yesterday, Philly drivers were surprised to find a section of their Interstate collapsed. I-95 was trending nationwide on Twitter after the stunning structural failure. According to CBS Philadelphia, a vehicle fire underneath a section of the Interstate ultimately led to its collapse. Reports claim that the fire came from a tanker holding 8,500 gallons of gasoline. Observers posted to social media about the black smoke and flames they could see rising up from the accident.
The fire reportedly began around 6:30am. Even more than 12 hours later teams were reportedly still clearing the scene trying to get to the tanker underneath. Thankfully, it appears nobody was injured in either the fire or the collapse. No casualties have been reported yet as a result of the accident. A stretch between exits 32 and 26, totaling about six miles is closed as a result. It isn’t clear yet what the plan is for repairing the section of interstate but public transport and detours have been set in place in the meantime.
Shutting Down I-95
Concerns go deeper than just the roads for Philly residents. Concerns over air quality followed the fire as dangerous chemicals were released into the air and picked up by the wind. The warning reminded fans online of New York’s recent air quality concerns following fires in Canada. The incident caused dozens of images of New York looking distinctly orange to go viral. Another event that people were reminded of was the 1996 tire fire which also resulted in extended highway closures. Though that fire was done by an arsonist, it doesn’t appear that arson is in consideration as a motivator for this fire.
Like with any major event, onlookers were quick to take their observations to Twitter. Many locals expressed difficulty getting to work/school on time as a result of the collapse. While others who don’t live in Philly jokingly wished they could use it as an excuse themselves. People also shared dozens of eerie videos of the incident featuring cars stopped on the highway and a massive plume of black smoke emerging from it. Let us know what you think of the I-95 fire and collapse in the comments below.
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