Traffic was blocked on major highway in Columbia after fiery crash, SC officials say
Traffic was blocked for more than an hour on a major Midlands highway Thursday following a multi-vehicle collision that had smoke funneling into the sky.
The crash occurred at 11:45 a.m. on Interstate 20, near Exit 71, the South Carolina Department of Transportation tweeted. That is the exit for U.S. 21, also known as North Main Street in Columbia.
It was a two-vehicle crash, Lance Cpl. David Jones told The State.
All of the westbound lanes were blocked, according to SCDOT.
A fire engine was on the scene as smoke billowed up from the wreck, SCDOT cameras showed.
One of the vehicles ran off the road and came to a stop on the shoulder of the highway where it went up in flames, Jones said.
Cameras showed traffic in the opposite direction was moving very slowly, and there were a couple of other minor collisions in the area, in both east and westbound lanes, Jones said.
Injuries were reported, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. None were considered life threatening, according to Jones.
Further information on their condition was not available.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol tweeted that drivers should expect delays as crews work to clear the road, which was fully reopened at 12:45 p.m.
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 12:10 PM.
