Tanker Truck Fire Shuts Down I-40 For Hours

NASHVILLE, TN — Both sides of Interstate 40 were shut down Saturday morning, with the inbound lanes of the road closed most of the day, after a tanker truck dumped thousands of gallons of gasoline, which caught fire near the I-40/I-400 interchange.

The truck and a car were involved in a wreck at 2:45 a.m.. Police said it's unclear who was at fault, though the driver of the car had outstanding warrants and witnesses reported the car hit the truck.

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The cab of the truck went over the bridge abutment and landed on Heiman Street below. The tanker was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline which spilled on the roadway and caught fire, leaving a scorched carcass of a tanker and blackening concrete along the road.

Miraculously, there were no serious injuries.

The westbound lanes re-opened by 5:30 a.m. The eastbound lanes were closed throughout the afternoon.

Photo by Olivia Lind, used with permission.