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Truck fire closes I-670 on Kansas City downtown loop


A firefighter douses the remains of a tractor trailer early Saturday morning in the downtown loop just under Broadway.
A firefighter douses the remains of a tractor trailer early Saturday morning in the downtown loop just under Broadway. The Kansas City Star

A truck caught fire early Saturday morning, shutting down westbound Interstate 670 downtown and sending plumes of thick, black smoke over the area.

The tractor-trailer was seen engulfed in flames around 6:30 a.m. beneath Bartle Hall in the southwest corner of the downtown loop.

Kansas City police said the truck’s driver escaped with minor cuts.

The KC Scout system reported about 8:30 a.m. that all lanes of westbound I-670 past Broadway, including the left shoulder, remained closed as investigators worked the scene.

Kansas City firefighters used large fans on air boats to clear smoke out of the convention center.

To reach Tim Engle, call 816-234-4779 or send email to tengle@kcstar.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/tim_engle.

This story was originally published August 30, 2014 at 9:04 AM with the headline "Truck fire closes I-670 on Kansas City downtown loop."

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