Tanker truck burst into flames after crash on I-49 in south KC; traffic delays continue
A tanker truck burst into flames Friday afternoon, shutting down southbound and northbound lanes of Interstate 49 near Red Bridge Road for hours in south Kansas City.
Kansas City police said in a statement that the fire was the result of a three-vehicle crash that was reported around 3:45 p.m.
According to police, a southbound Ford Focus that was driving “erratically” struck the back of the tanker truck, which was hauling diesel fuel. The Ford car also struck a Jeep Wrangler, which caused the Jeep to hit the right side of the truck tractor and trailer, police said.
The tanker truck then caught fire. Giant plumes of fire and smoke were visible for several miles as the truck burned for about an hour. Traffic in both directions was stopped while fire crews from Kansas City and Grandview worked to extinguished the blaze.
The driver of the Ford car was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, police said.
Police and fire officials said lanes of the interstate were badly damaged as a result of the fire.
Crews with the Missouri Department of Transportation were evaluating the roadway and an overhead highway sign, which was also damaged.
More than three hours after closing all of the southbound lanes, MoDOT reopened the far right lane of southbound I-49, allowing traffic to move through again, though traffic delays in the northbound lanes were expected to continue overnight.
Just before 8 p.m., MoDOT issued a news release, saying that it temporarily closed all northbound lanes due to the overhead sign truss that was damaged from the fire. The sign truss, which sits above northbound traffic, is expected to be removed, though incoming thunderstorms may delay the process Friday night, it said. In the meantime, MoDOT said those traveling north on the interstate will be diverted to Missouri 150.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 4:57 PM.
