PHILADELPHIA — Sources tell 6abc Action News that human remains have been found in the wreckage after a tanker truck fire led to the partial collapse of I-95 in Philadelphia over the weekend.
The driver’s remains were removed from the cab of the tractor-trailer on Monday morning, sources said.
While the remains haven’t been officially identified, family members of the driver, Nathaniel Moody, believe their loved one is the person who was killed.
“I am kind of baffled. I am trying to not cry because I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what happened,” said his cousin, Isaac.
The Action Cam was at the Pennsylvania Task Force One headquarters in the 6600 block of New State Road in the Tacony section of the city on Monday afternoon as the wreckage of the truck was hauled away.
Pictured: The wreckage of truck involved in the fire Sunday morning that led to the collapse of an elevated portion of I-95.
The collapse of the northbound lanes happened after a tanker truck fire broke out around 6 a.m. Sunday underneath I-95 near the Cottman Avenue exit in the Tacony section.
Sources say the tanker truck was carrying 8,500 gallons of 87-octane fuel.
In the first official accounting of the wreck, state Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said the driver was northbound “trying to navigate the curve, lost control of the vehicle, landed on its side and ruptured the tank.” Once ignited, the fuel burned at a high enough heat to structurally compromise the concrete and steel I-beans of the overpass.
Just before noon Monday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed a proclamation of disaster emergency following the collapse.
According to a press release from the governor’s office, “The proclamation allows the Commonwealth to quickly draw down federal funds and authorizes state agencies to use all available resources to expedite work and cut through the red tape to rebuild I-95 safely and as efficiently as possible.”
DEMOLITION PLANS
Officials said they expect demolition of the impacted portion of I-95 to be completed in the next four to five days.
The elevated southbound portion of I-95 will also be demolished, Carroll said.
Officials said a plan would be released later in the day, but rebuilding of the highway will begin “soon.”
Carroll said contractors will work around the clock and the challenge now is for officials to “attack this problem in the most efficient way possible so that we can resume traffic movements on I-95.”
I-95 northbound is shut down between the exits for Woodhaven Road in Northeast Philadelphia and Aramingo Avenue in the Port Richmond section.
Drivers on I-95 southbound were being detoured off the highway at the Cottman Avenue ramp. Motorists can make a left turn on State Road and following signs back to I-95.
Heavy machinery is being used to haul away some of the ruins of the northbound lanes.
WATCH: Chopper 6 over I-95 collapse scene on Monday morning
Officials said an average of 160,000 vehicles drive each day on the section of collapsed highway.
The northbound section sees an average of more than 76,000 vehicles, while the southbound section sees an average of more than 83,000 vehicles per day.
SEE ALSO: ‘I have no idea what is on fire’: Dispatch audio captures moments before I-95 collapse in Philly
ENGINEER EXPLAINS POSSIBLE CAUSE
A structural engineering expert at Drexel University says there’s already a big takeaway from the collapse.
It has to do with exposed steel underneath the bridge, and an apparent lack of fireproofing.
Dr. Abi Aghayere says it appears this span collapsed because of the exact spot where the fire erupted under the bridge.
“The thought that came to my mind is that it’s a freak accident,” Dr. Aghayere explains. “The question is: Should there have been fireproofing provided for this bridge section or any bridge section over a roadway?”
Dr. Aghayere explains that when a fire occurs on top of a bridge, the steel is protected by the concrete roadway.
DETOURS AROUND I-95 COLLAPSE
Southbound I-95 motorists can go as far south as the Cottman Avenue exit. Northbound I-95 motorists can go as far north as Exit 26 which is Betsy Ross Bridge/Aramingo Avenue.
Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia police, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation have established the following preliminary detours around the I-95 collapse:
I-95 Southbound
- Route 63 West (Woodhaven Road), U.S. 1 South, 76 East, 676 East
I-95 Northbound
- I-676 West, I-76 West, U.S. 1 North to Route 63 East (Woodhaven Road)
Local Detour Routes:
Northbound I-95 detour
- Exit I-95 at Aramingo Avenue
- At the end of the ramp, make a left onto Aramingo Avenue
- Follow Aramingo Avenue to Tacony Street
- Turn right on Tacony Street
- Take Tacony Street northbound around Tacony-Palmyra Bridge loop to New State Road. Continue northbound
- Travel New State Road to Milnor Street and re-enter I-95 northbound
Southbound I-95 detour
- Exit I-95 southbound at Cottman Avenue
- At the end of the ramp, right on Bleigh Street
- Follow Bleigh to State Road, make a left onto State Road
- Travel State Road South to Longshore Avenue
- Re-enter I-95 southbound at State Road and Longshore Avenue
Other Traffic Advisories
Castor Avenue on-ramp for I-95 northbound
Aramingo Avenue/I-95 on and off-ramps
- On-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
- Betsy Ross off-ramp to I-95 northbound closed
Bridge Street ramp
- I-95 on-ramp at Bridge Street closed.
- All traffic on Tacony Street will flow northbound only from Bridge Street to New State Road.
Tacony Street and Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
- Tacony Palmyra Bridge traffic onto Tacony Street closed. All traffic continues westbound onto Levick Street.
Cottman Avenue exit and State Road closures
- State Road from Cottman Avenue to Longshore Avenue will be one-way, southbound travel only.
See more traffic tips from Action News Traffic Reporter Matt Pellman.
State officials launched a website to provide updates on the highway’s reconstruction as well as detours.
SEPTA officials stated on Sunday that extra capacity will be added to its services following the highway’s collapse.
“We’re adding capacity on the Trenton, West Trenton and Fox Chase lines. That means additional cars on scheduled trains. We’re going to bus the Cynwyd Lines so that we can repurpose equipment and personnel and get them over to the Trenton Line,” said Leslie S. Richards, SEPTA CEO and general manager.
SEPTA will run three extra Trenton Line trains during the morning and evening rush on Monday, officials say.
In the morning, those trains will run at 6:40 a.m. and 8:03 a.m. from Trenton, along with one at 8:25 a.m. from Holmesburg Junction.
In the evening, trains will run at 3:05 p.m. from Suburban Station to Holmesburg Junction, along with trains at 4:30 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. to Trenton.
“Thanks to our partners at the Philadelphia Parking Authority, there will be free parking at their three park-and-ride lots at Fern Rock, at Fox Chase and at Torresdale,” added Richards. “There’s also free parking and all SEPTA own Regional Rail lots as well as at the Frankford Transportation Center for access to the Market-Frankford Line.”
For more information on the expanded SEPTA services, click here.
IMPACTS ON SUPPLY CHAIN
The American Trucking Association says the disruptions caused by the collapse of I-95 are “likely to have significant impacts on the supply chain.”
A spokesperson for the trade group said roughly eight to nine percent of vehicles that pass through that portion of the highway are commercial trucks.
SEE ALSO: I-95 collapse will ‘likely’ have significant impact on supply chain: American Trucking Association
“Those vehicles are now subject to more than 40 miles of detour, a detour that is mostly non-interstate highway with more than 60 traffic lights,” the spokesperson said. “This will add significant cost in time, fuel and delays so we urge state and federal agencies to target appropriate resources to repairing and replacing this highway as quickly as possible.
‘IT SMELLS LIKE BURNING PLASTIC’
Explosions could be heard in the area as the fumes seeped into manholes on Sunday morning.
“Just really loud pops and it’s, like, a little louder than gunshots,” said Tacony resident Brian Kelly. “Almost like M80s. Little fireworks.”
Everyone is being asked to avoid the scene.
“It smells like burning plastic mixed with, like, if you’re standing right behind a car and it’s blowing fumes in your face,” said Tacony resident Sierra Jones.
Officials said the extent of the damage means this is a situation that will impact the region for a long time to come.
Thousands of tons of steel and concrete were piled atop the site of the fire, said Dominick Mireles, the director of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management.
After a sheen was reported in the Delaware River near the collapse site, the Coast Guard deployed a boom to contain the material. Ensign Josh Ledoux said it did not appear that the contents were spreading into the environment.
“As far as waterways go, it’s being contained, and it seems like things are under control,” Ledoux said.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard later confirmed there was no sheening on the Delaware River, which signals no gasoline reached the river from the truck.
There was a little sheening in a cove adjacent to the river, but none in the river itself, officials said.
They said the water is safe for city residents to use and consume.
‘THE ROAD’S FALLING’
Videos from people who were driving on I-95 before the collapse are shocking. One woman took a video from her Lyft ride at 6:21 a.m. The road collapsed about one minute later.
Other videos show the road starting to buckle.
One of those videos was taken by Lisa Taormino of Langhorne, Pa. She said she was on her way to work and, by the time she realized the smoke and flames were on the highway, it was too late.
She was surrounded and her car dipped down into the road.
SEE ALSO: ‘The road’s falling’: Philly drivers capture heavy flames before I-95 collapse
Taormino can be heard saying, “Oh my God, the road’s falling,” while traveling past the scene.
Mark Fusetti, a retired Philadelphia police sergeant, said he was driving south toward the city’s airport when he noticed thick plumes of black smoke rising over the highway.
As he passed the fire, the road beneath began to “dip,” creating a noticeable depression that was visible in video he took of the scene, he said.
Most drivers traveling the I-95 corridor between Delaware and New York City use the New Jersey Turnpike rather than the segment of interstate where the collapse occurred. Until 2018, drivers did not have a direct highway connection between I-95 in Pennsylvania and I-95 in New Jersey. They had to use a few miles of surface roads, with traffic lights, to get from one to the other.
Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt will travel to Philadelphia on Monday to offer federal support and assistance following the partial collapse.
“The I-95 corridor is a vital connection for people and goods traveling along the East Coast, and FHWA has offered support and assistance to state and local officials to help them safely reopen this section of I-95 as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
TRASH & RECYCLING COLLECTIONS
City officials are asking residents to continue setting their trash and recycling collections out on their regular trash day and at their regular pickup site.
Some residents in northeast sections of Philadelphia may see delays in collections, officials warned.
The Streets Department says it is assessing the impact of the collapse on sanitation trucks traveling in the area. Some trucks may be diverted to alternative travel routes.
Officials say to check the department’s Twitter page for updates and more information.
SIMILARITIES TO 1996 FIRE ON I-95 IN PHILADELPHIA
The fire was strikingly similar to another blaze in Philadelphia in March 1996, when an illegal tire dump under I-95 caught fire, melting guard rails and buckling the pavement.
The highway was closed for several weeks, and partial closures lasted for six months.
Seven teenagers were charged with arson and the dump’s owner was sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $3 million of the $6.5 million repair costs, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
More recently in Atlanta, a massive fire collapsed an elevated portion of Interstate 85, shutting down the heavily traveled route through the heart of the city in March 2017. A homeless man was accused of starting the blaze, but federal investigators said in a report that the state transportation department’s practice of storing combustible construction materials under the highway increased the risk of fire.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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