Collision with fuel truck causes massive fire on Connecticut highway bridge

A collision between a car and a fuel delivery truck in Connecticut on Friday sparked a massive fire on a major highway bridge, prompting a temporary closure of Interstate 95 as firefighters worked to contain a blaze that spread to the land. adjacent.

“This was a tragic accident at 11:15 this morning,” Governor Ned Lamont said Friday during a news conference. “It appears that the tire of a passenger car exploded, creating an incident” with “billing smoke, incredible flames, spilling through the pipes, spilling into the River Thames,” he added.

The truck driver was killed in the accident, while two people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

“My heart goes out to the trucker’s family,” he said Friday.

The incident occurred on the south side of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton, Connecticut, a busy corridor through which 60,000 vehicles pass daily.

“I saw the smoke from a distance, I thought it was something below,” Seth Bottone, 48, told news station WCVB. “As he got closer to me, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.'”

The Navy, which has a submarine base nearby, sent fire crews to help with the containment effort, and environmental crews worked Friday to remove contaminants from the Thames.

By Friday night, traffic was reopened on both sides of the Gold Star Memorial Bridge.

There is no damage to the steel structure of the bridge, according to authorities.