Tragic Tanker Crash: Unsecured Manhole Cover Ignites Devastating I-95 Fire

Gasoline spilled from an unsecured manhole cover on a tanker, causing a fire beneath an I-95 bridge in Philadelphia. The crash killed the driver and disrupted interstate transportation. Federal investigators linked the fire to the spilled gasoline. Efforts to manage the disaster included multiple firefighting challenges and interim structural patches.

Gasoline spilled out from an unsecured hatch on top of a gasoline delivery tanker that overturned and ignited under an Interstate 95 bridge in Philadelphia, a tragic event that occurred a year ago, according to new details from federal investigators.

Video evidence obtained by investigators shows the cover to the 16-inch 'manhole' was open when driver Nathan Moody arrived at a Wilmington, Delaware, terminal to refill the tank, and it remained unsecured when he left to deliver it to a Philadelphia convenience store, 42 miles away. The catastrophic crash killed Moody and caused significant disruption to transportation along this vital interstate for weeks.

A September report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, made public on Wednesday, concluded that the fire 'most likely originated when gasoline escaped' from the open manhole as the trailer overturned. Nearly 2,500 gallons of gasoline and ethanol began to spill and ignite. The crash destroyed the bridge, necessitating an interim fix and the eventual construction of a permanent replacement, which reopened in November.

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