A section of one of the main highways in the United States collapsed in Philadelphia

SATIN

The elevated part Interstate 95one of America’s major highways, collapsed this Sunday after a large vehicle caught fire, sending thick black smoke and closing the road in both directions.

Local television showed pictures of what happened: a a large column of black smoke and part road burned with molten iron and the cement was smoking from the ferocity of the fire.

The incident happened near the city of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) on an elevated part of Interstate 95, under which a tanker carrying some kind of flammable cargo caught fire. Despite the spectacular event, there were no injuriesDerek Bowmer, captain of the Philadelphia Fire Department, said at a press conference.

According to Bowmer, emergency crews from Philadelphia responded to the fire around 6:30 a.m. local time (12:30 p.m. in mainland Spain) and immediately realized the fire came from a large burning vehicle that was under the freeway. Bowmer explained that the fire from the vehicle may have hit gas pipes that run underground, causing small explosions and fires around the highway.

At the same press conference, Philadelphia Emergency Management Director Dominick Mireles expressed concern about the possible “environmental impact” there could be in the Delaware River, which runs parallel to the damaged section of the freeway. The Philadelphia Department of Water Quality, which depends on the Delaware River, said on Twitter Sunday that it was monitoring the situation and that there had been no negative impacts. Authorities urged motorists to avoid the road, which will remain closed to traffic for some time.

Brendan Boyle, one of the congressmen who represents Pennsylvania in the US Congress, said in an interview with CNN that the repair work could take “months”. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has been informed of the event, and members of his team have contacted Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney to offer assistance, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean- Pierre.

At the state level, Shapiro said on Twitter that he was coordinating with authorities in neighboring New Jersey and with the federal government to respond to the situation. The damaged highway, Interstate 95 (I-95), serves as a link between the big cities on the east coast in the US and millions of Americans use it every day. The 3,096-kilometer highway leads from Miami (Florida) to the border between the federal state of Maine (USA) and the Canadian province of New Brunswick.