A fuel tanker truck fire led to a closure of a portion of I-95 during the busy morning commute through Lower Bucks County Tuesday morning.
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Fire crews were dispatched at 8:30 a.m. to I-95 northbound, just past the Neshaminy Creek, according to Kevin Dippolito, the Bristol Township Fire Rescue chief and township fire marshal.
Dippolito said the eight tires on the two rear axles of the fuel tanker caught fire as the vehicle drove into the township.
Responding firefighters used foam to put out the flames as they advanced toward the cargo tank, Dippolito said.
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The fire was brought under control by 8:53 a.m.
While the rear gasoline compartment of the tanker was empty at the time of the fire, the truck was carrying diesel fuel, according to the chief.
Dippolito stated that no fuel leaked during the incident, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was notified.
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The northbound lanes of I-95 leading up to the Bristol Exit were blocked for approximately 20 minutes while emergency crews extinguished the blaze, Dippolito said.
Officials called in a second tanker to offload the diesel fuel from the damaged truck before it could be towed from the highway.
No injuries were reported.
Bristol Township Fire Rescue was assisted at the scene by Bensalem Township Fire Rescue, the Bensalem Township Volunteer Fire Department, the Croydon Fire Company, the Dow Chemical Fire Department, and the Newportville Fire Company.
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The incident happened during a busy morning for emergency crews on local roadways. Shortly before, a two-vehicle crash with fire closed the Burlington-Bristol Bridge. A few minutes later, an intense truck fire closed a portion of Route 1.
