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Semis Burst Into Flames After Crash

Semi_Fire
Two semis caught fire after a crash near Channahon. (CBS)

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A fiery crash involving two semi trucks and a car closed Interstate 55 near southwest suburban Channahon for roughly eight hours Tuesday.

The crash happened about 6:20 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-55, in a construction zone just south of Route 6 near Channahon, an ISP release said.

A 2014 Freightliner semi truck failed to stop and crashed into the back of a 1999 Kenworth semi truck, police said.

The Kenworth semi truck, driven by a 48-year-old Joliet man, was forced forward. It hit a 1995 Ford Taurus in front of it, driven by a 41-year-old man, also from Joliet, police said.

No one was hurt, and there were no passengers in any of the vehicles, ISP said.

The Freightliner was loaded with paper products and caught fire after all of the drivers made it out of the vehicles. The 66-year-old Green Bay, Wis. man driving that semi was ticketed for failing to reduce speed to avoid an accident, ISP said.

Crews from Channon Fire Department put out the fire by 8:15 a.m., but the truck was still smoldering hours later, Master Sgt. Martez Malone of the ISP District Joliet said.

The crash closed the Interstate for about eight hours as crews investigated the crash and cleaned up the wreckage.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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