On the morning of June 11, authorities in the eastern North American city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said an elevated section of Interstate-6 (I-95) collapsed because a truck caught fire below.
The collapse of the I-95 highway overpass severely disrupted traffic in one of the most populous areas of the United States for months.
Captain Derrick Bowmer of the Philadelphia Fire Department said: "Rescue units arrived at the site and discovered a raging fire from an unidentified truck. Initial reports suggested that the vehicle causing the damage was a fuel truck, but authorities have not confirmed the information.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has sent a team to investigate the fuel tanker fire and the collapse of the overpass.
The fire severely damaged a northbound four-lane overpass, causing a large portion of it to collapse. Authorities said they were searching for the driver of the burned vehicle, who was no longer at the scene when police arrived.
Authorities fear major environmental damage to the area, including poison seeping into the nearby Delaware River.
Residents in the Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood of Tacony heard multiple explosions after the initial crash. Fire Department officials said the explosion could have been caused by gas leaking from the crash, or an explosion in an underground gas pipeline.
In addition to the smoke from the fires, authorities fear toxic substances could seep into the ground as well as the Delaware River, causing further environmental damage.
A lifeline, I-95 is a major north-south highway in the eastern United States, connecting cities along the East Coast from Maine to Florida.
The collapse of the bridge, which forced the I-95 highway to be closed in both directions near Philadelphia, is certain to create traffic congestion as the summer tourist season in the United States begins.
“Plan and look for alternative travel routes,” the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management posted on Twitter.
"I-95 will be affected for a long time," Philadelphia CEO Tumar Alexander said at a news conference on Sunday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the closure of the freeway would have a "significant impact" in and around the Philadelphia area and that the Department of Transportation would "provide the support needed to help restore and rebuild the region's transportation."
The White House also said that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation and is reaching out to state and local officials to offer help.
Thousands of tons of debris will have to be cleared before authorities can assess the damage and make reconstruction plans for northbound and possibly southbound sections of the highway.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said repairs would take "several months".
In 1996, a similar fire, caused by illegal tire burning, damaged a section of I-95 in Philadelphia, shutting it down for weeks and a section of it for six months.
