Tanker explosion scenario on I 95

[WXBUFFJIM]

I 95 in both directions at I 895 is completely shut down. Both ramps at I 895 is shut down. Detours northbound on I 95 is at route 100. The best detour from southbound I 95 would be off the Baltimore Beltway because just beyond that, it's completely shut down.

The one scenario that's being pointed out with this accident is the fact that a tanker truck skidded on southbound I 895, then lost control, went over the bridge guardrail, then landed on I 95 on top of other vehicles. Once that initial tanker landed on the vehicles, everything evolved and EXPLODED!!!

Looking at the monitor at least 3 tankers are involved and over 3-5 cars are involved in this. Multiple fatalities are likely in this terrible accident. It will take days to get this area of I 95 reopened.

New information on this situation does involve some tunnel closures too near Baltimore. The Fort Mchenry Tunnel I 95 is open in both directions. The I 895 tunnel, the Harbor Tunnel Thruway is completely shut down. The latest thinking is that I 895 will likely be completely shut down across Baltimore from the I 895-I95 split over to the accident scene.

As more info comes in, we'll pass that along. This is Jim.

Jim

[stormraiser]

Thanks Jim. My family is more south, so I think everyone is safe, but it is still good to keep up on these things

[WXBUFFJIM]

Let's clarify this info. The tanker truck was travelling not on southbound I 895, but northbound I 95. A tractor trailer is what skidded off I 895 skyramp into northbound I 95. Both trucks exploded on impact on northbound I 95. Several other cars exploded with that also. 2 people are confirmed dead. The fatality count will increase most likely because we have more than 2 vehicles involved in this explosion.

The fire is mostly out, except a few hotspots with the tractor trailers and the tanker truck. The investigation will last all night long and I 95 maybe shut down for many days. I 895 overpass will be shut until inspectors determine if that bridge is safe to cross because that bridge was burned with the explosion. The road below that, northbound I 95 maybe damaged to the point where it needs to be repaved. This will be a very long process to reopen this interstate and it may take days to reopen anything nearby.

Northbound I 95 traffic is being rerouted at route 100. Southbound I 95 is being rerouted at the beltway I believe. The situation is definitely sad and unfortunately traffic is affected severely in the Baltimore/Washington area.

New update, an NTSB National transportation Safety Board team has just been dispatched to the scene of this horrific accident. They will arrive later this evening. Now the federal government is involved in this. The quick response in the accident will help. More updates later on this.