UPDATE: Semi Fire Closes I-74 In Dearborn Co.

Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 7:28 AM

A Best Way Disposal truck driver snapped this photo of the truck fire and fuel spilling into the Whitewater River from the Interstate 74 overpass. Update posted Thursday, September 25 at 12:40 p.m.: The Dearborn County Sheriff's Department says the semi truck driver was not cited for the incident. The truck hauling double trailers caught fire as it was being driven westbound on Interstate 74, prompting the 65-year-old driver from Indianapolis to stop on the Whitewater River bridge. Agencies assisting at the scene included Indiana State Police, Harrison Fire Department, Bright Fire Department, St. Leon Fire Department, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Environmental Protection Agency, and Indiana Department of Transportation. Update posted Thursday, September 25 at 6:36 a.m.: Interstate 74 in West Harrison was shut down for nearly seven hours for the truck fire. The highway reopened to traffic at about 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. The wreck is under investigation by the Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department. No further information has been released. Update posted Wednesday, September 24 at 4:57 p.m.: Interstate 74 westbound remains closed as crews clear up the scene of a truck fire on a bridge near the 168 mile marker in West Harrison. There is no estimation on when it may reopen, dispatchers said. The incident involved a fuel leak, which poured in flames from the bridge into the Whitewater River below. The Dearborn County Sheriff's Department is taking the lead on the investigation. Original story posted Wednesday, September 24 at 2:53 p.m.: (West Harrison, Ind.) – A semi truck fire and fuel spill have forced the shutdown of Interstate 74 westbound in West Harrison Wednesday afternoon. The incident was reported around 1:26 p.m. on the interstate on or near a bridge crossing the Whitewater River at the 168 mile marker, dispatchers said. Fuel was reported to be leaking into the river. No injuries were reported. Emergency crews have the interstate’s westbound lanes closed until further notice for the cleanup. The semi was reported to be hauling general merchandise.