One person died and Interstate 70 was shut down west of Denver for hours Thursday after the driver of an SUV crashed into the back of a parked tanker truck carrying fuel, shooting flames and thick, black smoke billowing into the sky.
The full closure of I-70 between Genesee and Morrison lasted more than six hours, with eastbound lanes reopening late in the afternoon and westbound lanes reopening just before 7 p.m.
The initial investigation indicated a semitrailer traveling west on I-70 overheated and its driver pulled over onto the shoulder, according to the Colorado State Patrol. The SUV crashed into the rear of the parked truck’s tanker around 10 a.m., igniting both vehicles and the adjacent hillside.
“It’s still an extremely active scene,” Jacki Kelley, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said late Thursday morning as firefighters worked to stop the blaze’s spread. “This is going to impact traffic for hours in both directions.”
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer said investigators were still looking into why the SUV smashed into the parked semitrailer.
A person in the SUV died, and the truck driver was hospitalized, Kelley said. Moltrer later confirmed the truck driver sustained minor injuries.
After the crash, spilled fuel flowed through a culvert and quickly spread across eastbound lanes of the interstate as well, state patrol officials said. The culvert needs to be inspected for damage from the fire, officials said.
“This incident will take hours of investigation, inspections and hazmat cleanup,” Colorado State Patrol officials said on social media.
Although initial estimates from the sheriff’s office reported up to six additional vehicles were involved in the crash, Kelley confirmed only the truck and the SUV were impacted.
CDOT advised passenger vehicles to use U.S. 6 or U.S. 40 as alternate routes, and that commercial vehicles only use U.S. 40. The Colorado State Patrol said the best alternate route “for long hauls” is U.S. 285 to Colorado 9.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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