Truck Fire Causes Major Traffic Headaches During Morning Commute Today in Wheeling

From Staff Reports

WHEELING -- Major traffic congestion occurred on several roads in Ohio County early this morning as a result of a tractor-trailer fire on Interstate 70.

Only one vehicle was involved in the incident. The driver of the truck escaped uninjured, authorities said. An exact cause of the blaze remained undetermined.

Wheeling police reported at 5:45 a.m. today that a truck with flammable materials caught fire on I-70 eastbound at mile marker 5 near the Interstate 470 connector in Elm Grove. As a result, all lanes of I-70 and I-470, both eastbound and westbound, were closed for several hours.

Traffic was rerouted onto National Road and Bethlehem Boulevard, resulting in long delays for the morning commute.

Philip Stahl, public information officer for the Wheeling Police Department, said a representative of the trucking company told police that explosives and aerosol items were possibly the cause of the fire. The truck was hauling Fed Ex shipments, he added.

"The driver was going somewhere in Pennsylvania," Stahl said. "He called the fire in himself and he is all right."

He said westbound traffic on I-70 and I-470 had resumed as of 6:55 a.m. One lane of traffic on I-470 eastbound had re-opened by 7:40 a.m.

"Traffic is still moving very slow," Stahl said at that time. "Firefighters are still putting out hot spots."

Stahl said a shoulder of Interstate 70 will remain closed to address the remains left over from the fire. I-470 did not clear immediately because of traffic being congested for an extended period of time this morning.

West Virginia Department of Highways personnel, haz-mat teams and wrecker crews were working to clean up the area. Stahl said, "Oil and gas have burned and the DOH is assessing the damage."

As Wheeling firefighters worked at the scene, crews from a towing company were using heavy equipment to remove wreckage from the roadway. Environmental management specialists also were on the scene, checking the roadway and an adjacent ravine for any hazardous materials.

Authorities indicated the road should be cleared by noon at the earliest.

(Linda Comins, Casey Junkins and Jessica Broverman contributed to this report.)