I-795 closed after tanker fire in Pikesville, driver taken to Shock Trauma
By Megan Rivers
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PIKESVILLE, Maryland (WBAL) — A massive fire erupted early Friday morning from a fuel tanker in Pikesville, closing Interstate 795.
The fire shut down I-795 where it meets the Baltimore Beltway. Maryland State Police tweeted that troopers were called just before 6 a.m. to the northbound lanes of I-795 and that the truck’s driver was taken to Shock Trauma in Baltimore. Fire officials said the driver is in serious condition.
Video from 11 News viewer Corey Novosel showed thick smoke billowing from the scene over Streamwood Drive, which is adjacent to the Beltway. The smoke could be seen from miles away all around the scene.
An 11 News crew at the scene captured video of the highway still on fire at 7:20 a.m., but said it appeared to be getting smaller.
The smoke subsided substantially and the flames appeared to be out by 8:30 a.m. The Baltimore County Fire Department tweeted at 8:54 a.m. that firefighters have put the fire out.
No other injuries were reported.
State police said the 8,500-gallon tanker truck was filled with fuel, and fire officials said firefighters and crews from the Maryland Department of the Environment are working to contain diesel fuel at the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Residents in the area told 11 News they heard loud sounds as the fire erupted.
“I heard a lot of boom sounds,” said Nel, a resident who lives near the scene. “It was very big. I thought it someone threw a bomb, you know, it was very scary. I heard that around 5:30 (a.m.).”
Baltimore County police and fire crews, firefighters from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, officials the MDE and the Maryland State Highway Administration all responded to the scene.
The Maryland Transit Administration tweeted that emergency personnel requested Metro suspend subway service in the area between the Owings Mills and Old Court stations. A bus bridge is being put in place from Owings Mills to Milford Mill.
This developing report will be updated.
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