Burning vehicle causes section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse

A vehicle fire shut down I-95 in both directions after a portion of the interstate collapsed in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, state officials said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the vehicle fire closed all lanes between Exit 25 and Exit 32, which includes Allegheny Avenue, Castor Avenue, Academy road and Linden Avenue.

Philadelphia Fire Department Captain Derek Bowmer said emergency crews responded shortly before 6:30 a.m. local time after receiving a report of a vehicle being on fire on the interstate. Reports indicated that the vehicle may have been a tanker truck, but that has not been confirmed.

The fire is under control and city and state officials are “responding to address impacts to residents in the area and travelers affected by the road closure,” the state fire department said in a statement to USA TODAY.

“Plan and seek alternative travel routes,” the City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management said on Twitter.

How did the section of I-95 in Philadelphia collapse?

Bowmer said runoff from the fire or compromised gas lines caused explosions underground. Because of heat from the fire, Bowmer said the northbound lanes were gone and the southbound lanes were “compromised.”

“Today’s going to be a long day. And obviously, with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, it’s going to be even longer than that,” Director of OEM Dominick Mireles said.