Lanes reopen after garbage truck fire shuts down O’Neill Tunnel on I-93 southbound
The O’Neill Tunnel reopened to traffic just after 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a garbage truck fire shut down I-93 southbound in Boston, causing severe traffic delays.
All lanes in tunnel open. Burned truck has been removed.
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) May 12, 2016
State Police shut down Exit 20 and traffic was diverted to Exit 26 shortly after the Massachusetts Waste truck caught fire around 1:20 p.m., police said. No one was injured in the incident, and the truck, which was still smoldering, was towed to the South Bay Shopping Center, according to the Boston Fire Department.
Jeff D’Angelo, a spokesman for Republic Services, which owns Massachusetts Waste, said the company is “cooperating fully with the Boston Police Department as part of an ongoing investigation into the incident today.”
Can of truck pic.twitter.com/J74Mi45FGe
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) May 12, 2016
The fire caused brutal delays on I-93 south, as rows and rows of cars sat unmoving. State Police said to avoid the area because the fire was “taking longer to extinguish and clear than expected.”
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation released several photos of the truck fire taken between 1:20 and 1:30 p.m.
The garbage truck caught on fire in the O’Neill Tunnel.
Good times! Check out the line of traffic on 93 South. It’s at a full stop because of fire in O’Neil Tunnel. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/iNH1qWrvUR
— Scott Sullivan (@sullybunZ) May 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/PattyNeal/status/730834230515748866
BREAKING: Fire inside O’Neill Tunnel Southbound #Boston.
Smoke pouring from vents.
Traffic backing up.#FOX25 pic.twitter.com/vaPY3u1L1w
— Peter Wilson (@PetesWire) May 12, 2016
The live traffic update from Google showed delays in dark red all along I-93 South through the heart of Boston.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com