Fiery Crash Closes I-95 in CT For Weeks

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Fiery Crash Closes Connecticut Highway For Weeks

CHRISTIAN ABRAHAM/CTPost

CONNECTICUT POST NEWS STAFF

Courtesy of The Connecticut Post 

BRIDGEPORT - A tractor-trailer carrying 9,000 gallons of fuel oil erupted in a spectacular fireball after striking a car on Interstate 95 Thursday night. 

The inferno buckled an elevated section of the highway near exit 26 at the Howard Avenue overpass. Officials said I-95 in both directions was heavily damaged and could be closed for weeks. 

Despite leaping flames of 50 feet, no serious injuries were reported. 

But the damage to one of I-95's busiest stretches could be crippling. Engineers from the state Department of Transportation were on the scene assessing the long-term damage, a job expected to continue today. 

"The road is completely on fire," said State Police Sgt. J. Paul Vance at one point. "The fire is out of control." 

"This is a total disaster as far as traffic is concerned," said Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi. 

Gov. John G. Rowland was flown to the scene in a state police helicopter and planned a late night news conference. 

The accident occurred in the southbound lanes just before 8 p.m. The resulting blaze burned out of control for hours, spilling No. 2 fuel oil over the side of the highway onto Railroad Avenue below, eventually making its way into Cedar Creek and Bridgeport Harbor. 

The heat generated by the fire caused a section of the roadway to sag 3 to 4 feet, according to Fire Chief Michael Maglione. Other reports said there was a 4-to-6-inch gap in the roadway at the site of the accident. 

Vance said the highway is expected to be closed for a "extended period of time," likely "weeks." 

He said state officials are appealing to media outlets in other states to inform commercial traffic of the highway disaster here and urge them to use alternate routes. 

The section of I-95 through the Bridgeport region handles about 120,000 vehicles per day. 

He said a number of accidents already had occurred Thursday night on the Merritt Parkway because of heavier traffic volume. 

Locally, city streets were swamped by traffic forced off I-95, with officers dispatched to major intersections to direct traffic. 

Police Chief Wilbur Chapman advised drivers to avoid I-95 in the area altogether and use the Merritt Parkway over the next several days. The city also will formulate a traffic plan outlining detours and alternative routes. 

Asked how the accident would affect Bridgeport's police manpower, Chapman responded, "It is going to be tough, but we will handle it." 

Maglione said the crash caused the most severe damage to the highway he has ever seen. 

Remarkably, the driver apparently was able to flee the burning cab under his own power. 

It could also not immediately be determined who owned the tanker truck. 

Fire officials said that the tanker's engine was still running several hours after the crash. Safety personnel could not get close to the cab to turn the engine off because of the intense flames and the weakness of the bridge. 

The truck driver, whose identity was not released early this morning, was in stable condition at Bridgeport Hospital. His injuries were not thought to be life threatening, according to John Cappiello, Bridgeport Hospital spokesman. 

Firefighters from around the region responded to battle the conflagration. Foam crews from Fairfield and Waterbury were sent to the scene to help stifle the long-burning fuel fire. And the Fairfield County Hazmat team with firefighters from Stratford, Norwalk, Westport, Wilton, Bridgeport and Waterbury also battled the blaze. 

Eyewitness Roger Shelton said lights flickered on and off at his home on nearby Clinton Avenue at the time of the crash, a result of the flames touching the overhead electrical wires. 

Hearing over the police scanner that the highway could possibly collapse, Shelton said he got close to overpass before police escorted him away. 

At 9:45 p.m., he said from his vantage point, "The truck is charred." 

Eyewitness Noelle Adams was on her way home to Milford from Norwalk when traffic slowed to a halt at northbound exit 26 just before 8 p.m. 

Adams said she saw a small fire burning on the roadway ahead, which had been blocked off by state police. She got bored waiting in her car, so she got out to take pictures with the camera in her cell phone. By her estimation, she was between a quarter- and an eighth-of-a-mile away from the wreckage. 

"The smoke was incredible. You couldn't see past it," she said. 

While waiting at the blockade set up by police, Adams heard a loud explosion. "The noise scared me," she said. 

After the explosion, the entire highway appeared to be engulfed in a wall of high flames, Adams said, burning her eyes and forcing her back into her car. 

"All you could see were lights and smoke and fire. You could not see the police cars unless you knew to look for their lights," Adams said. 

U.S. Rep Christopher Shays, R-4, canceled plans today and planned to arrive in Bridgeport, although he wasn't sure what mode of transportation he would be taking. 

"I will be working closely with our two senators to get financial help or federal expertise" on how to handle the disaster, Shays said late Thursday night. 

"I have confidence the state will have an idea what to do," he added. "This is not the first time we've faced this kind of adversity." 

Staff writers Aaron Leo, Frank Washkuch Jr., Steve Scarpa and Anne Amato contributed to this report. 

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