Crews repair damage to I-15 after tanker carrying 10,000 gallons of fuel explodes

After a tanker hauling 10,000 gallons of fuel exploded on Interstate 15 on Thursday night, crews managed to repair the most heavily travelled freeway in the state in time for the Friday evening commute.

Two lanes of southbound I-15 that were closed at 7200 South in Midvale, were reopened just before 1 p.m. Friday.

It’s “nothing short of amazing,” said Utah Department of Transportation spokesman John Gleason, that the road was repaired and reopened so quickly.

At midnight Thursday, officials thought it might take a few days to repair the damage that was done by the flames, he said, but crews were determined to get the “critical freeway” in shape before the evening commute and the arrival of an accompnaying snowstorm.

The pavement patch is a temporary fix, however, UDOT officials said, and a long-term solution will require more time and work.

About 7:20 p.m. Thursday, the truck’s brakes heated up and the right rear axle of the truck caught fire near 7500 South, according to Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lawrence Hopper. The flames spread from the axle to the tanks of fuel — one with 9,000 gallons of gasoline and the other with 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

The driver got out of the truck before flames reached the tanks of fuel. No other injuries were reported.

Investigators are working to determine whether there were any other malfunctions, Hopper said, but the fire destroyed or melted a lot of the tanker.

The subsequent explosions shut down the freeway in both directions, as well as the Interstate 215 interchange and surface streets, for hours.

The fire was reported mostly contained about 10:10 p.m., according to UDOT, and it was extinguished completely just after 10:30 p.m., Unified Fire Authority said.

“There wasn’t much left of the truck,” Gleason said, after visiting the scene of the fire Friday morning.