Fiery 10-vehicle crash tangles I-26 drivers (+ video)

All lanes on I-26 near St. Andrews Road should be open to traffic Thursday morning after crews worked most of Wednesday to make immediate and extensive road repairs after a fiery, pre-dawn crash that involved 10 vehicles near St. Andrews.

Crews finished their work just before rush hour Wednesday afternoon, according to South Carolina Department of Transportation officials.

Although several people were transported to local hospitals, there were no serious injuries or fatalities, according to L. Cpl. David Jones, a South Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman.

Most of Wednesday afternoon, emergency crews worked to clear the scorched wreckage of eight passenger vehicles and two commercial vehicles from the interstate between the Piney Grove and St. Andrews road exits that were destroyed in the fire.

Highway Patrol officials are continuing to investigate the circumstances leading up to the collision.

A tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gas fueled the fire. The tanker overturned, spilling gas onto the roadway that later ignited. Thick plumes of black smoke could be seen for miles.

Columbia Fire Department spokesman Brick Lewis said firefighters were dispatched to the crash scene at 5:30 a.m. Highway Patrol troopers arrived shortly before 6 a.m. The Irmo Fire Department was early to the scene.

As morning commuters began to find alternate routes around the crash site, many other roads leading into downtown Columbia became heavily congested with traffic.

SCDOT workers were able to reopen two lanes of I-26 westbound to traffic and one lane of eastbound traffic several hours following the crash.

Pete Poore, an SCDOT spokesman, said 177 square yards of asphalt roadway that was underneath the fuel tanker sustained severe damage during the fire and needed immediate repair as did the median barrier. Other repairs will be made in the coming weeks. There has been no damage estimate.

Elizabeth Taylor, executive director of the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission, said that “every artery (side roads) was a nightmare,” and some of her employees arrived to work as much as two hours late.

Commuters into downtown Columbia also were stuck in traffic for hours.

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 8:25 AM.