UPDATE: All lanes open on I-64 after hay fire
The right eastbound lane of Interstate 64 remained closed by around 6 a.m. Friday near O’Fallon as officials say a hay fire reignited overnight.
Two miles of Interstate 64 were fully closed on Thursday at the height of rush hour due to a hay-fueled fire that started on a trailer.
A tweet from the Illinois Department of Transportation said the right lane going east on the interstate remained closed Friday morning as the fire department worked to keep the fire under control. IDOT said the left and center lanes were open, as are all westbound lanes.
Between 75,000 and 79,000 pounds of hay were on the semi, owned by MNP Transport of Pennsylvania, when it caught fire. The cause of the fire had not been determined Thursday evening.
“First we had to get most of it off the trailer with a Bobcat and backhoe,” said O’Fallon Chief Brent Saunders. The fire department had the hay moved to the side of the road, where it burned and then smoldered after the initial call at 5 p.m.
The amount of hay that needed to be removed meant the road was closed immediately, Saunders said.
Commander Tim Tyler of the Illinois State Police, who had been on the scene since the first call, said the fire departments were planning to spray foam on the fire to completely put it out.
“It’ll probably take two to three days to get the hay totally removed,” Tyler said.
Illinois Department of Transportation officials were also on the scene to determine any damage the road may have incurred from the intense heat.
“Seventy-five thousand pound load of hay; that’s a lot of heat apparently,” said Master Sgt. Scott Boothe of the Illinois State Police.
He said the incident occurred during rush hour and there was a significant backup on the Interstate. He said IDOT would be checking the quality of the road and to ensure the paint hadn’t “melted off.”
At about 6 p.m., traffic was backed up to Interstate 255 on Interstate 64. Saunders said traffic was being diverted at Illinois 159, and “all the traffic in the queue cleared out.”
Emergency officials got the call about 5 p.m. that a semi was on fire on Interstate 64 near the Sam’s Club in O’Fallon.
Fire departments from O’Fallon, Fairview Heights, Lebanon and more assisted with the fire. Other agencies assisting were O’Fallon police, Fairview Heights police, ISP and IDOT.
Petroff Towing removed the vehicle.
O’Fallon residents received a robocall from the city, indicating the road would be closed two to three hours.
No injuries were reported.
This story was originally published July 28, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "UPDATE: All lanes open on I-64 after hay fire."