NOLANVILLE, Texas — One person was killed Monday morning after a four-vehicle crash involving a tanker truck that caught fire on I-14 West.
Bell County Public Information Officer James Stafford said the accident started when a Pontiac collided with an 18-wheeler near the Paddy Hamilton Road exit. Shortly after that, a pickup truck driver stopped to help. That's when another vehicle collided with the pickup truck. Stafford said, an 18-wheeler carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel then ran into all of those vehicles.
The tanker truck burst into flames, sending smoke in the air that could be seen for miles. The driver died but the other people involved suffered minor injuries, according to Stafford.
I-14 West was closed between Paddy Hamilton Road and Simmons Road. Stafford said he expected it to be closed for most of the day Monday.
Emergency responders from Killeen, Ford Hood, Central Bell County Fire and Rescue, Belton and the Texas Department of Transportation all responded to the scene.
Stafford said the road may have to be repaved because of how hot the fire was from the tanker truck.
The crash happed around 6 a.m. and was extinguished by around 9:30 a.m.
TxDOT has created a construction lane to repair the roads surface on westbound lanes two and three, the westbound service road or lane one remains open for traffic.
Tammy Williams was driving on I-14 and sent 6 News video of the fire. That video is attached to this article. It's also on the 6 News YouTube page.
Seattle Adams was also driving on I-14 and sent 6 News video of the huge blaze.
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