Part of Interstate 95 in northeast Philadelphia was shut down in both directions on Sunday morning after a vehicle fire caused part of the highway to collapse, officials said.
The fire was under Route I-95 near the Cottman Avenue exit, Sarah Peterson, a spokeswoman for the city of Philadelphia, said in an email.
“The fire is under control, and city and state agencies are responding to address impacts to residents in the area and travelers affected by the road closure,” she said.
Dominick Mireles, director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, said at a news conference on Sunday morning that the recovery would require “heavy construction.”
“Today’s going to be a long day,” he said. “Obviously, with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, it’s going to be even longer than that.”
He said that the agency was also concerned about the possible “environmental impacts” the fire and collapse could have on the Delaware River, which runs parallel to the damaged section of the highway.
Derek Bowmer, a Philadelphia Fire Department battalion chief, said that there were no reports yet about occupants of the vehicle or of injuries. The Fire Department received a call at 6:22 a.m. and found “heavy fire from a vehicle,” he said.
Investigators do not know what type of vehicle was on fire or if more than one vehicle was involved, he said.
He also said that runoff from fuel and gas lines had caused explosions in the area and caused fire to come out of nearby manholes.
The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management asked people to avoid the area and warned that nearby streets were closed because of the emergency response. The agency said the highway was closed between the Woodhaven and Aramingo exits.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said that he had been briefed about the fire. The State Police and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency were helping with the response and the state transportation secretary was headed to the scene, he said.
In April, part of Interstate 95 was shut down after a fuel tanker crash on a major bridge in Connecticut.
