Just after midnight, Wednesday Spring Fire Department was dispatched to a truck on fire on Interstate 45 north bound between the Hardy Toll Road and the Grand Parkway. They arrived to find a trailer fully involved. The driver who was pulling a double trailer separated the two and pulled forward to protect the second trailer and truck. The trailer was marked with a hazardous material placard labeled as corrosive. Firefighters contained the blaze and contacted Harris County Haz-Mat who responded to the scene. It took firefighters several hours to gain access to the trailer using saws. It was determined the drums of chemicals contained a neutral caustic acid. Firefighters were finally able to enter the trailer and extinguish the remainder of the load which contained boxes of clothing and other commodities.
The freeway was completely closed northbound and being in a construction area driver were forced to wait. One driver attempted to leave his vehicle in the main lane and walk home. A Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy quickly stopped that. However, when one lane of the freeway opened that same deputy was forced to wake the driver up as he was blocking the entire lane.
As traffic started to flow drivers jockeyed for position. One driver cut in front of an 18 wheeler and was struck. As Harris County deputies got his information and released him that same driver drove into a second lane causing a red safety cone to be wedged under his vehicle.
The truck was finally unloaded and the trailer moved off the freeway close to dawn.
