Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said there were no serious injuries in the collision, and that I-95 will remain closed throughout the day

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UPDATE

At his second press conference on the fiery crash, CT Governor Ned Lamont said that the damaged bridge that goes over I-95 will need to be replaced immediately because heat from the burning fuel compromised parts of the bridge.

He issued an emergency declaration, and said that the bridge is scheduled to be demolished beginning Friday morning around 3 a.m. Removing the bridge is expected to take 24 hours, or possibly a bit longer. Then the road will need to be assessed to see if paving will be required to make the road safe and secure.

"If all goes well, and I'll monitor this, we should have two-way commuting back on I-95 as early as Monday morning," said Lamont who described the work as "heroic."

"It is an emergency declaration," Lamont said. "I filed that with the feds just in the last hour hoping to get federal reimbursement for the replacement of the bridge. We ought to get some notification on that in the not too distant future, but first and foremost what we've got to do is get that bridge out of there, get two-way traffic going."

The original story follows below.

Another critical incident on the I-95 Eastern seaboard corridor as the highway and a bridge / overpass were engulfed in flames today in Norwalk, Connecticut, between exits 14-16.

A fuel tanker, a tractor-trailer, and a passenger vehicle collided around 5:30 a.m. near the Yankee Doodle Bridge in Norwalk, setting off the massive explosion.

I-95 and the Fairfield Ave bridge overpass are both closed at this time. The Fairfield Ave overpass sustained serious damage that requires immediate evaluation. 

Governor Ned Lamont confirmed no serious injuries, but I-95 will experience an extended closure as state police investigate.  Expect significant delays in the area.

DOT Director of Highway Maintenance Don Remson indicated they hadn't been able to fully inspect the bridge yet for damage, and said they were hoping to meet later today with engineers and construction people to see what the next step for the overpass bridge is once DEEP is done cleaning up and securing the area.

Mayor Rilling noted that there had been "several other incidents around the state and elsewhere where when a tanker truck caught fire underneath the bridge" and that "the bridge ultimately had to be replaced."

Richard Swan, assistant director of the Emergency Response Unit for DEEP, said a large amount of gas was consumed in the fire, so there was little runoff that impacted the environment. He further said, "we have been able to contain it to a retention pond behind the wall, and it did not make it to the Norwalk River at all."

He further confirmed that the foam used to fight the fire was a "green non-pfas" foam which is safe for the environment.

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