Watch: Highway collapses after truck beneath it catches fire in Philadelphia

A massive truck fire caused a highway to collapse partiallynear Philadelphia, leading to a traffic shutdown, as per media reports. Authorities closed a section of the I-95 Highway near Philadelphia early on Sunday. Officials are currently at the scene, assessing the condition of the highway. They have confirmed that the northbound roadway collapsed before 8 am, while the southbound roadway is considered "compromised".

Extent of damage, debris

"The roadway is gone," officials informed NBC10, highlighting the severity of the collapse caused by the truck fire.

Images show the truck covered in concrete and debris that had fallen from the roadway. Initially, there were reports suggesting that the truck involved was a tanker truck. However, due to safety concerns, officials have been unable to confirm the truck's type or get close enough to search for the driver.

Traffic disruption

At around 7 am, witnesses observed smoke and fire emanating from the burning truck located near the I-95 on-ramp at Cottman Avenue.Shortly after, police vehicles were deployed to block traffic from entering the northbound lanes, particularly near the Aramingo Avenue exit. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time, and fortunately, no injuries have been reported thus far.

Steve Keeley, a reporter from Fox 29 Philadelphia, provided an update via Twitter at 7:34 am on Sunday, stating, "95 Shutdown in BOTH directions near Cottman Ave Exit in Northeast Philadelphia. A truck fire in underpass beneath the highway caused part of 95 to collapse."

He added, just before 8 am, that the northbound section of the I-95 was visibly gone, with lanes caving in due to the fire beneath. Keeley further predicted a lengthy closure of this vital east coast highway for repair work.

Sgt Mark Fusetti, who witnessed the incident before the closure, shared his experience on Twitter. He mentioned that his vehicle dipped down on the highway, emphasising that the "road was collapsing".

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The cause of the truck fire and subsequent collapse of the roadway remains unclear. Recovery and repair work will be necessary to restore the affected section of the I-95 Highway, a process expected to take several days.

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