NB I-95 reopens after tractor-trailer fire damages road

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A tractor-trailer hauling mops caught fire Wednesday and snarled traffic on northbound Interstate 95 near Interstate 4 near Daytona Beach.

All north and southbound lanes were blocked for several hours, but the southbound lanes reopened later in the evening and the northbound lanes reopened around 2 a.m. Thursday.

Large plumes of dark smoke could be seen on the interstate near mile marker 260.

Photos: Semitruck fire on I-95 in Daytona Beach

Raw: Truck fire on I-95

A Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson said driver Timothy Williams was headed from Miami to Missouri.

A witness behind the big rig told troopers Williams drifted in and out of the lane for several minutes before crashing into a guardrail.

The fuel tank ruptured when it came in contact with the guardrail. Williams escaped the vehicle before it erupted into flames.

There were heavy delays on I-95, which was closed in both directions for several hours.

The flames torched an overpass and the northbound lanes of the interstate.

Officials said the State Road 400 bridge should be structurally sound, but they expected repairs to the northbound lanes to take several more hours.

“What we’re looking at is, 460 feet on I-95 that have to be repaved. That’s over three lanes that have to be redone,” said Steve Olson of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Officials said the only vehicle involved in the crash was the truck. Williams was cited for failure to maintain a single lanes.

WFTV