Fire billows from an overturned 18-wheeler in the westbound lane of N.C. 24 on the Great Coharie Creek bridge Monday night. Firefighters had the fire under control an hour after the one-vehicle accident, but fuel was still leaking from the tanker. (Chuck Thompson|Sampson Independent)
Dozens of firefighters, rescue workers and law enforcement officers remain on the scene of an overturned 18-wheeler, which erupted into fire after it reportedly struck a bridge embankment and overturned, leaking fuel on the roadway Monday night.
The incident happened at 8:10 p.m. While the fire was under control within the hour, leaving only billowing smoke coming from the tanker, there is still an active fuel leak that firefighters are trying to bring under control.
Westbound traffic was backed up for about a mile and officers were trying to reroute travelers through the Coharie Country Club around 9 p.m. Eastbound traffic on N.C. 24 was moving normally.
A third-party contractor, hauling Smithfield food products, overturned the 18-wheeler near the Great Coharie Creek bridge just after 8 p.m., sending fuel spilling onto the roadway and causing the fire that ignited soon after the accident.
The condition of the driver is not currently known, but reports note that he was being treated inside an ambulance on scene.