Semi Explosion followed by fire on Eastbound I-80 Exchange

Emeryville neighbors were startled by a distinct explosion right before 1 p.m. this afternoon followed by a large plume of black smoke that quickly engulfed the city. A diesel traveling on the Northbound 880 to Eastbound I-80 exchange immediately caught fire and flames engulfed the container of the big-rig. UPDATE: It was unclear if the explosion came from a fuel leak igniting or the truck’s cargo.

Here’s a look at northbound I-880 in #Emeryville at the height of the big-rig fire. https://t.co/7yEsRcsZQOhttps://t.co/hoP9ictDsO

— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) July 8, 2016

Firefighters reacted quickly and were on the scene within minutes and worked to extinguish the flames. The cab of the big-rig was in tact and could be seen driven away to a safe proximity of the flames. No word on any injuries or damage to the infrastructure of the flyover.

Longtime Emeryville residents remember a similar incident in 2007 when flames engulfed a big-rig causing the flyover to buckle and requiring shutdown of the overpass for nearly a month. It’s been a wild week for fire crews in the area as Wednesday was the scene of a rare 6-alarm fire that engulfed an in-development apartment complex on San Pablo.

Northbound I-880 Ramp to Eastbound I-80 in Oakland, On-Ramp Closed Due to Tractor Trailer Fire. https://t.co/zoZiArEKql

— 511 Bay Area (@511SFBay) July 8, 2016

Needless to say, traffic heading through the area is at a standstill and traffic is backed up for miles and should be avoided.

Since this is breaking news, we will update the post as new information becomes available.