The burned remains of a pile of propane tanks sit on Interstate 5 on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
Lillian Karabaic / OPB
The Oregon Department of Transportation closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 through North Portland on Tuesday morning after a semi-trailer carrying propane tanks caught on fire. The lanes were reopened midafternoon in time for evening rush hour.
Portland Fire & Rescue crews responded just before 5 a.m. to reports of the fire on I-5 northbound near North Skidmore Street.
PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves said when firefighters arrived, the semi tractor was gone and the trailer was left behind. Crews quickly shut down the northbound lanes. He said it looked like there were flames around the brake lines of the trailer that were getting near the propane tanks.
Then “one of those canisters loaded with fuel, it just got going,” Graves said, “everything was popping like popcorn.”
Residents in nearby neighborhoods reported hearing several explosions.
He said one of the tanks exploded and shot across the freeway, and was still aflame as a southbound semi hit it and dragged it down the road for a while. That’s when crews shut down the southbound lanes.
Graves said PF&R then used the southbound lanes to fight the fire from a safe distance, using three engines and a water tender. There were no injuries reported.
For much of the morning commute, the north and southbound lanes of I-5 were shut down, and traffic was being rerouted onto neighborhood streets. The northbound traffic lanes of the Fremont Bridge were also closed, as well as the Skidmore Overpass.
All lanes have since reopened.
ODOT officials announced at about 9 a.m. that the northbound lanes needed emergency grinding and paving work before they could reopen.
Graves said as of mid-morning Tuesday that officials still had not located or heard from the driver of the semi.
This story may be updated.