A giant fireball and thick black smoke transformed a quiet Sunday afternoon into a scene straight out of an action movie when a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel overturned and caught fire on the I-270 South ramp to SR-161 East in northeast Columbus.
The crash happened just before 1:45 p.m., leading to a fiery explosion visible for miles. Emergency responders from Columbus, Franklin Township, and even John Glenn International Airport rushed to the scene, deploying foam trucks and hazmat units to contain the blaze and limit environmental impact.
Leaving Easton mall taking 270E/161. Anyone know what happened here?
byu/Jazzlike_Action5712 inColumbus
The tanker’s driver was transported to Riverside in stable condition, and crews were able to extinguish the fire relatively quickly considering the scale. Officials reported that most of the spilled fuel burned off in the flames, and thankfully, no active fuel leaks into the ground were detected.
ODOT inspectors were called in to assess damage to the overpass.
The southbound ramp to SR-161 was closed overnight for emergency repairs, while the northbound ramp was also shut down for cleanup, with both expected to reopen in time for the Monday morning commute.
Featured image via Facebook
