Video: Truck crash, fire, hazmat incident shuts down bridge between Kentucky and Ohio
Interstate 71/75 is closed after a truck carrying liquid potassium hydroxide collided with another truck and burst into flames
By Laura French
CINCINNATI — A truck collision that led to a fire and hazmat incident on a bridge connecting Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, may require traffic to be shut down for days, officials say.
Covington police said that both sides of Interstate 71/75 and the Brent Spence Bridge will be closed "for an extended period of time" after a truck carrying 44 pounds of liquid potassium hydroxide collided with another truck on the lower deck of the bridge Wednesday morning, according to FOX 19.
The crash sparked a fire that fully engulfed both vehicles and burned for more than two hours, officials say. The blaze caused damage to both the lower and upper decks of the bridge.
Both truck drivers were able to leave their vehicles and were not injured, according to police. Covington police and fire personnel, Cincinnati fire personnel and Environmental Protection Agency officials remained at the scene to investigate and assess the damage. Engineers will be called to inspect the structural integrity of the bridge when it is safe to do so.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River carries approximately 160,000 vehicles per day.
All lanes of I-75 Brent Spence Bridge CLOSED. Semi truck crash and fire on lower deck. @WLWT pic.twitter.com/diYxBVMzbR
— Greg Rahe (@Hoosiernewshoun) November 11, 2020
SEMI EXPLOSION: Video captures how massive the fire was this morning when 2 semi trucks apparently crashed, causing an explosion and chemical spill that has shut down the Brent Spence Bridge.
— WLWT (@WLWT) November 11, 2020
The latest: https://t.co/FKyLoTXsMI pic.twitter.com/g7JAczBBG9
THE LATEST: A look at the damage on Brent Spence Bridge after a fiery crash involving two semis this morning.
— WLWT (@WLWT) November 11, 2020
Officials expect the bridge to be closed for at least the rest of the day. More: https://t.co/h5kWjBGpod pic.twitter.com/hsj1IIWDdW