One person is dead and several others were injured after a truck carrying thousands of gallons of fuel rolled over in a fiery crash on a busy Connecticut interstate late Friday morning, sending a billowing cloud of smoke into the air.
A spokesperson for the Connecticut State Police Department said during a press conference that several 911 calls were placed at 11:15 a.m. Friday regarding a crash involving a tractor-trailer carrying fuel traveling southbound on Interstate 95 over the Gold Star Memorial Bridge in Groton.
Gov. Ned Lamont said that a passenger vehicle tire blew out and created a "tragic" incident that saw the tractor-trailer overturn and erupt into flames as roughly 2,200 gallons of fuel spilled onto the roadway.
Officials said that the truck driver died, while adding that people in the passenger car suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Lamont said that the southbound portion of the bridge will be closed until officials are sure it's "absolutely safe."
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The northbound lanes of the bridge reopened by 12:40 p.m., the state police said.
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Garrett Eucalitto, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said that the bridge's drainage system is compromised and said that crews will be inspecting the bridge for any structural damage at a result of the fire.
Officials haven't yet identified the driver or any of the victims involved in the incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
