UPDATE: Westbound reopens after fire closes Toll Road near Portage
PORTAGE — A fire closed all lanes on the Indiana Toll Road for a time Wednesday morning at the Portage barrier, at mile marker 29. A tractor-trailer loaded with apples and potatoes caught on fire and set alight an awning structure overhanging toll booths across lanes in both directions.
Westbound lanes re-opened at about 8:20 a.m., and eastbound lanes were expected to reopen before 11 a.m.
The fire started just before 7 a.m., and at 8 a.m. firefighters battled if for more than an hour. There were no injuries reported.
Damage to the vehicle and structure was estimated to exceed $1 million, Indiana state police said in a release.
Indiana State Police thought eastbound lanes would be closed until the fire was cleaned up.
The truck was traveling east Tuesday morning when it caught fire and then set part of the metal structure or the road signs suspended on it on fire as well.
The truck did not crash, and state police did not immediately know the cause of the fire.
Andrezy Drozd, 67, of New Jersey was the driver of the truck, which is owned by ATC Transport of Bridgewater, New Jersey.
While lanes were closed, traffic was being diverted at exits 23 and 31.
