PORTLAND, Oregon — The northbound lanes of Interstate 5 are back open in Portland after a nearly 12 hour-long closure Tuesday following a fire involving a trailer carrying dozens of propane tanks.
The fire severely damaged the road and required emergency grinding and paving, the Oregon Department of Transportation said.
A trailer with about 120 propane tanks caught fire around 4:48 a.m. Tuesday near the Swan Island exit, on the northbound side of the freeway, according to Portland Fire & Rescue. I-5 was closed in both directions before the southbound lanes reopened after 6 a.m. The northbound lanes reopened just around 4:45 p.m.
There was no vehicle or tractor attached to the trailer when firefighters arrived on scene, Rick Graves with Portland Fire said.
Portland police said Wednesday there's no indication any crime was committed. Sergeant Kevin 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.
Since it was not a crash, the driver was not required to remain at the scene by law, according to Allen. He said the driver reported the incident to the company they work for, and that the driver is cooperating and making arrangements to speak with investigators sometime in the future, though Allen didn't specify a time frame.
On Tuesday, Graves said there were explosions in addition to the fire.
"There definitely was some exploding canisters that are no longer a part of the solid pile that's (the) remainder of the trailer," Graves said. "There was explosions occurring. Could be quite a significant danger to rescuers as well as spectators or observers 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.
People who live in the area told KGW on Tuesday that they woke up to their homes shaking.
"It wasn't shaking like an earthquake, but it was a shake that woke me up," said Barbara Brooks.
AJ Fosmark, who lives nearby, said his windows would rattle every time there was an explosion.
"I kind of came out and checked it just to kind of look under the bridge and I could feel the heat," he said.
The vehicle was fully engulfed for about 30 minutes before crews began dosing it in water. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire.
No injuries were reported, according to Graves.
