Driver killed after tractor-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of ammo catches fire, closes part of I-40

Eastbound traffic stands still about 4 miles east of I-49 on I-40 as officials work to clear a tractor-trailer hauling 40,000 pounds of ammunition after it caught fire in Franklin County Wednesday.
Eastbound traffic stands still about 4 miles east of I-49 on I-40 as officials work to clear a tractor-trailer hauling 40,000 pounds of ammunition after it caught fire in Franklin County Wednesday.

The driver of a tractor-trailer has died after the vehicle, which was hauling 40,000 pounds of ammunition, caught fire on Interstate 40 in Franklin County, authorities say.

A portion of the interstate near Mulberry remained closed Wednesday afternoon as crews continued to wait for the blaze to die down in order to clear the scene, according to the Arkansas State Police.

Liz Chapman, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas State Police, confirmed around 4:40 p.m. that the entrapped driver of the tractor-trailer was killed as a result of the fire.

The driver's identity was not known and would likely be listed as "unknown" in a preliminary report expected later in the day, Chapman said.

[FATAL WRECKS: Complete coverage of deadly crashes in Arkansas]

Highway department crews were en route shortly after 4 p.m. to evaluate the structural integrity of an overpass at Lone Elm Road in Mulberry, said Danny Straessle, spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department.

It was not immediately clear whether the accident happened on the overpass or nearby.

The rural area surrounding the single-vehicle crash was not evacuated, though traffic was being rerouted.

Westbound travel on I-40 was being redirected at Exit 35 onto U.S. 64, according to a state Highway and Transportation Department advisory. Motorists traveling eastbound on the interstate were being detoured onto U.S. 64 at Exit 20.

[TRAFFIC MAP: Live travel conditions across Arkansas, including the area of the Franklin County tractor-trailer fire]

As of around 4 p.m., the interstate was set to remain closed for at least another hour in the area, Chapman said. Arkansas Online's traffic map showed travel at a standstill for miles on I-40 and on U.S. 64 at that time.

Additional information regarding the accident was not immediately available.

Check back with Arkansas Online for updates on this developing story and read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

photo

Police cars face east on I-40 at exit 20 Wednesday. All eastbound traffic was being diverted to Highway 64 after an accident closed the interstate.

Map

Area of the tractor-trailer fire

Area of the tractor-trailer fire

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