Overturned Tanker Bursts Into Flames on Indianapolis Interstate

A semi-truck carrying fuel overturned and caught fire on an interstate in Indianapolis, Indiana, closing highway lanes in both directions on Thursday, February 20, according to local media.

The driver was pulled out of the truck by a Good Samaritan and was taken to the hospital, according to Indiana State Police’s public information officer Sgt John Perrine.

Police advised drivers to use alternative routes as the Indianapolis Fire Department battled the blaze near Interstate 70 and Interstate 465. The Indiana Department of Transportation said certain sections of the affected interstates would be closed for six hours.

“This will be a very extended clean-up and will affect rush hour traffic,” Perrine said on Twitter.

This video, filmed by Indiana resident Leslie Ann Sare, shows black smoke billowing from the crash site and a loud noise is heard as flames burst from the wreckage.

Sare said she was leaving downtown Indianapolis and driving down I-70 when she saw the black smoke. When she realized the smoke was coming from a fire on the overpass, she said she started filming.

“Certainly not my typical Thursday commute,” Sare told Storyful. Credit: Leslie Ann Sare via Storyful