Transportation officials warned of extensive delays and street closures and urged drivers to avoid the area. Early reports indicated that the vehicle may have been a tanker truck, but officials could not immediately confirm that. The fire was reported to be under control.
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city's airport when he noticed thick plumes of black smoke rising over the highway. As he passed the fire, the road beneath began to "dip," creating a noticeable depression that was visible in video he took of the scene, he said.
The effect on traffic was not immediately clear, but most drivers travelling the I-95 corridor between Delaware and New York City use the New Jersey Turnpike rather than the segment of interstate where the collapse occurred. "Today's going to be a long day. And obviously, with 95 northbound gone and southbound questionable, it's going to be even longer than that," said Dominick Mireles, director of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management.