(Seguin) — After nearly 16 hours of being closed, the westbound lanes of Interstate 10 near the Niagara Bottling plant were finally reopened following an overnight 18-wheeler fire that shut down the highway early Wednesday morning.
The single-vehicle crash occurred just before 2:30 a.m. Reports indicate that an 18-wheeler hauling corrosive materials erupted into flames along the westbound main lanes of I-10.
Officials say the fire triggered “a massive emergency response,” that included Seguin firefighters, law enforcement, and hazmat crews. Although the driver was able to escape without injury, officials say one Seguin firefighter sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
The accident forced officials to completely shut down westbound I-10 bringing morning and afternoon traffic to “a crawl.”
The eastbound lanes were reopened by 6:50 a.m. The westbound lanes, however, remained closed until 6:45 p.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.