A horrifying video was captured by a driver driving down a Philadelphia Interstate when it burst into flames after a gas tanker truck exploded underneath.
Tara Hallinan was one of the last motorists to safely make it to a northbound section of I-95 before it finally gave way after being weakened by the fire early Sunday.
The video shows thick black smoke rising on either side of the highway as huge flames shoot into the sky.
After driving through the affected area, Hallinan turns around by filming her car’s rear window revealing huge clouds of black smoke.
At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said a vehicle was trapped in the rubble and that at least one person may still be inside.
A section of I-95 Philadelphia Interstate collapsed when a tanker truck carrying gasoline caught fire and exploded. The sheer size of the fire could be seen through a driver’s windshield
From above, the devastation after the Interstate collapse can be seen
Shapiro wouldn’t care if it could be the commercial truck driver that caused the massive fire and subsequent bridge collapse.
Video of the scene showed a huge concrete slab from I-95 had fallen onto the road below.
Shapiro said his flight over the area showed “simply remarkable devastation.”
“I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists were injured or died on I-95,” he said.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney also said that while there are no known fatalities, the situation is “still fluid.”
Authorities believe the truck was likely carrying hundreds of gallons of gasoline. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control.
Her rearview mirror showed thick black clouds of smoke rising into the sky
Moments when Hallinan had crossed, a huge stretch of four-lane roadway collapsed
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said his flight over the area showed “simply remarkable devastation.”
While the northern section now has a gaping hole, the southbound viaduct was closed as the fire has now rendered it structurally unsound.
Runoff from the fire or perhaps broken gas lines caused underground explosions, he added.
The crash happened on a slope under northbound I-95 at about 6:15 a.
m., said state Transportation Department spokesman Brad Rudolph, and the northern section above the fire quickly collapsed.
The southbound lanes were badly damaged and Rudolph said they are being assessed for their safety.
Shapiro said it would likely take “several months” to completely rebuild the roadway, on which about 160,000 vehicles pass every day.
He said he would sign a disaster declaration on Monday, releasing federal funds and other aid.
Officials are on scene after the collapse of an elevated section of Interstate 95
Firefighters from the Philadelphia Fire Department look at the site where an overpass collapsed
The overpass collapsed early Sunday after a vehicle caught fire and closed the main east coast north-south highway
Shapiro said he had spoken directly with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and was assured there would be “absolutely no delay” in getting federal funds quickly to rebuild what he called a “critical roadway.”
Shapiro said the full rebuild of I-95 would take “several months.” In the meantime, officials are looking at “workarounds to connect both sides of I-95 to get traffic through the area.”
The collapsed section of I-95 was part of a $212 million reconstruction project that was completed four years ago.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete were piled at the site of the fire, and heavy construction equipment would be needed to remove the debris, said Dominick Mireles, director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete were piled on the site of the fire
The collapse now threatens to disrupt travel in parts of the densely populated northeast
The collapse shut down four lanes along an elevated section of the heavily trafficked highway, though there were no immediate injuries
Reports attributed the accident to an oil tanker that caught fire under the bridge
Officials are working on the scene after the collapse of an elevated section of Interstate 95 after a tanker truck caught fire in Philadelphia on Sunday. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
Shapiro said that while a “very light sheen” could be seen in the Delaware River near where the gas tanker caught fire, indicating that gasoline may have been spilled into it, booms were quickly lowered into the water to contain the contain the spread.
“There is no threat to anyone’s drinking water,” Shapiro said.
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city’s airport when he saw thick, black smoke rising over the highway.
As he passed the fire, the road below began to “dip,” creating a noticeable depression that was visible on the video he took of the scene, he said.
In his rearview mirror he saw the traffic come to a halt. Soon after, the northbound lanes of the highway crumbled.
“It was crazy timing,” Fusetti said. “That it buckles and collapses so quickly is pretty remarkable.”
This stretch of the I-95 corridor is located in the densely populated northeastern part of Philadelphia and connects the city to northern suburbs, such as Bucks County.
On a Sunday in the summer, it is routinely used by beachgoers coming home from the Jersey Shore. Weekdays are busy with commuters and vehicles traveling to Boston, Baltimore and Washington.
Officials said travelers should expect delays and encouraged them to plan alternative travel routes, including trains, for their commute.