PORTLAND, Ore. — The driver of a trailer carrying propane tanks that caught on fire, shutting down Interstate 5 for most of Tuesday, has been in contact with investigators.
Portland police said Wednesday that there's no indication any crime was committed. Sergeant Kevin Allen said the driver reported the incident to the company they work for, and is cooperating and making arrangements to speak with investigators sometime in the future, though they didn't specify a timeframe.
Allen said the Portland Fire Investigations Unit believes the driver's side wheel well area of the trailer caught on fire due to a mechanical issue, later spreading to the propane tanks.
"There is no indication of any criminal act," Allen said. "Because this was not a crash, there’s no law requiring the driver to remain at the scene and exchange information. I can imagine there could be some civil or regulatory consequences, but that’s outside of our scope."
The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed for nearly 12 hours yesterday to put out the fire and repair the road. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) said the fire severely damaged the road and required emergency grinding and paving.
Don Hamilton, a spokesperson with ODOT, told KGW Wednesday that five contractors were called in to help with the repairs.
It will be a few weeks before the total cost of the repairs is known, but contingency funds are built into the ODOT budget for situations like this, he said. ODOT will also determine if any additional repair work needs to be done.
“Part of the process here was to do an assessment underneath the bridge to make sure there was no damage underneath the bridge structure. Obviously, we weren’t going to open that up unless we were confident that it was safe. We are very confident that it is safe. We are considering the finding in (the assessment) to see if anything further needs to be done,” said Hamilton.
Around 4:48 a.m. on Tuesday, the trailer carrying about 120 propane tanks caught on fire near the Swan Island exit. When firefighters arrived, there was not a vehicle or tractor attached to the trailer, Rick Graves with Portland Fire said.
He added that the fire caused some of the canisters to explode, making it quite dangerous for rescuers and people on scene. Graves described the propane tanks as the kind used for backyard grills or patio heaters.
Multiple explosions can be heard in a video of the fire that was shared with KGW.