JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — Eastbound Interstate 70 was closed at West 32nd Avenue in Wheat Ridge Thursday afternoon due to a semi-truck fire.
Photos and videos from 9NEWS viewers showed heavy flames coming from the back of the truck. West Metro Fire spokesperson Ronda Scholting said the fire is now under control, and the person driving the truck was able to get out safely.
Scholting said a call about the fire first came in at 4:13 p.m., and that while there were different reports of explosions, firefighters don't know the culprit and that it could have come from the truck's tires.
A nearby grass fire was brought under control.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) tweeted about the closure just after 4:20 p.m. It did not say when the eastbound lanes of the highway were slated to reopen. Scholting said a stretch of Youngfield in the area was also closed for fire response.
People in the area should take an alternate route, the agency said. The 9NEWS traffic map showed delays of upward for 30 minutes that were continuing to grow as of 4:45 p.m.
This happened on the same day that a storm was projected to bring heavy rain and possibly street flooding to much of the Front Range during the evening commute. It led to road closures and trouble in Greeley when it arrived there earlier in the day.
Check out the 9NEWS traffic map at 9news.com/traffic before heading out this evening.
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