GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WXZO AM/FM) – A gasoline tanker truck overturned and exploded in downtown Grand Rapids early Saturday morning, sending a massive fireball and plumes of black smoke into the sky. The crash occurred around 8:05 a.m. on southbound U.S. 131 near the Pearl Street exit. Miraculously, the driver managed to jump from the vehicle and run to safety just before the explosion, and no other injuries or evacuations have been reported.
The incident has caused major traffic disruptions, with the Michigan Department of Transportation shutting down U.S. 131 in both directions near the I-196 interchange. Southbound lanes are closed at Leonard Street, while northbound lanes are blocked at Wealthy Street, and all ramps from I-196 to southbound U.S. 131 remain closed.
Emergency crews and HAZMAT teams are currently on the scene conducting cleanup and structural inspections of the expressway barriers, with the highway expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future.
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