Tanker truck fire closes southbound lanes of I-75
A tanker truck carrying 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 500 gallons of gasoline caught fire this morning on I-75 north of Corkscrew Road. The fire caused lenthy traffic delays as multiple local fire departments arrived to help battle the blaze.
According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, at 9:29 a.m., Carlos Julio Marquinhos, 26, of Cape Coral, was driving a 2007 Kenworth T-300 tanker south on I-75 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle caught fire, quickly becoming fully engulfed in flames.
FHP reported that Marquinhos brought the truck to a controlled stop and was able to safely exit the vehicle.
Once the fire was extinguished and the remaining fuel was cool enough, it was pumped into another truck.
The southbound lanes of I-75 were closed for approximately six hours, the FHP reported.