I-94 Still Closed After Massive 193 Vehicle Pileup
UPDATE 11:53 pm: Officials confirm that westbound I-94 has reopened.
Cleared Incident
— MDOT - Metro Detroit (@MDOT_MetroDet) January 11, 2015
Route: I-94 At M-37 (Columbia Ave)
Direction: Westbound
GALESBURG, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Both sides of I-94 in southwestern Michigan remain closed as crews remove acid and tow away vehicles stuck in an extraordinary pileup on the snowy highway.
The number of vehicles involved in a series of crashes Friday in Kalamazoo County has fluctuated. State police now say there were 193, including dozens of semis.
A truck carrying fireworks caught fire, triggering a spectacular explosion of the cargo. A 57-year-old truck driver from Ottawa, Canada, was killed and about two dozen people were taken to hospitals -- including two firefighters who were injured while attempting to extinguish fires from vehicles.
Pics from @jessicawheeler3 from I-94 crash in Michigan w/ 150 vehicles, including some with fireworks that exploded http://t.co/MBGzZQeD4d
— Mike Godsey (@Teamship) January 10, 2015
Police said approximately 50 cars and trucks remained in westbound lanes Saturday morning and four trucks are in eastbound lanes.
"One of the things that is slowing down the cleanup is having to transfer the chemicals from the one damaged trailer to another damaged trailer," State Police Sgt. Scott Leroy told WWJ's Lauren Barthold. "At this point, there is still no estimate as to when the roads are going to be reopened."
Work to clear the scene has been described as "brutal," especially with temperatures barely above zero.
MORE: Massive Pileup Crash Involving Truck Hauling Fireworks Shuts Down I-94 [VIDEO]
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