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Tanker explosion, fire closes NB I-75 at 696 in Royal Oak

By Camille Amiri and David Komer
Published  August 3, 2023 11:04pm EDT
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NB I-75 shut down at 696 after tanker explosion, fire

Luckily there were no injuries but the highway shutdown looks like it will last awhile.

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (FOX 2) - Northbound I-75 is shut down at 696 after a semi-truck carrying hot asphalt caught fire Thursday night.

Emergency vehicles are still at the scene late into the evening as the freeway closure continues - although luckily there were no injuries.

"I was in the kitchen and I heard an explosion," said Charlie Venticinque. "At first I thought it was our car in the driveway. I looked and all of a sudden I saw black smoke. I'm like something is on fire on the freeway."

"It sounded like a bomb went off when I first heard it," said Bob Cucinella.

Michigan State Police say the crash happened at about 6:10 p.m.

The cause of the crash is not known yet, but the closure is expected to last deep into the overnight hours.