Truck fire, hazmat situation closes SB I-65 at SR 10 in Indiana

FAIR OAKS, Ind. (WLS) -- A truck fire and subsequent hazardous materials situation closed southbound I-65 at State Road 10 in Indiana early Thursday morning.

A double-tractor trailer caught fire around 2 a.m. on I-65 at mile marker 223 near Fair Oaks, Ind., Indiana State Police said.

The driver pulled over on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes and tried to put out the brake fire on the rear trailer. He was unsuccessful, so he unhitched the rear trailer and pulled the rest of the truck forward, state police said.

A short time later, the rear trailer went up in flames. There were 55 gallon barrels of sodium hydroxide and phosphonium chloride inside the trailer, authorities said.

State police temporarily shut down I-65 in both directions while firefighters extinguished the fire. A hazmat crew was called to the scene to help clean up.

Northbound I-65 was re-opened before 4:45 a.m. Southbound I-65 remains closed. Traffic is being diverted at SR 10. As an alternate, drivers can take State Road 55 south to State Road 14, then head east back to I-65 and hop onto the southbound lanes.

Authorities did not say how long cleanup on southbound I-65 would take.