Shelter in place order lifted after deadly crash on Columbia-area highway, officials say

A fatal collision caused a hazardous material spill and a traffic jam for drivers making the Thursday morning commute on a highway running through the Midlands that connects Columbia and Charlotte, and a shelter in place order was issued for the immediate area, South Carolina officials said.

All of the lanes on Interstate 77 were blocked Thursday morning following the collision between mile markers 31 and 3, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The wreck happened in the southbound lanes, which were closed around 4 a.m., while the northbound lanes were blocked at about 5:45 a.m., SCDOT tweeted.

All lanes on I-77 were open as of Thursday evening, according to SCDOT.

A hazardous materials spill was caused by the crash that involved an 18-wheel tractor trailer and at least one other vehicle, Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins told The State. As crews from Columbia assisted the Fairfield County Fire Service to knock down the blaze that burned up the tractor trailer, it caused smoke to emerge from the chemicals that were hauled in the truck, Jenkins said.

“There’s always hesitation to put water on chemicals when you don’t know what it is,” Jenkins said of the fire that was still active as of 9 a.m. The fire was primarily contained to the truck, according to Jenkins.

The Fairfield County Coroner’s Office said Charles Wayne Hartley, 54, of Lancaster, was killed in the three-vehicle crash. He was driving a Chevrolet pickup truck that collided with two tractor trailers.

A shelter in place order was in place for the Town of Ridgeway for about two hours, as emergency responders worked to identify what spilled onto I-77, according to the Fairfield County Fire Service.

“We are in the process of identifying the product so we can develop an action plan. Please avoid the area,” the fire service said before 9 a.m.

Jenkins said first responders weren’t able to find out what was being hauled by talking with the truck driver, who was taken to an area hospital. Further information on the driver’s condition was not available.

At about 9:45 a.m., the Fairfield County Fire Service said it had identified the product as ammonium sulfate.

We “have developed an action plan. Our crews are working to extinguish the fire and control the scene. We do not expect any immediate danger to life and health,” the fire service said.

Originally, the shelter in place order was just for those within a 1-mile radius of the spill, but was expanded to all of Ridgeway at about 8:30 a.m. The expansion was ordered when the toxic smoke from the fire began drifting toward Ridgeway, Jenkins said.

“The smoke has dissipated and I anticipate the highway heading toward Charlotte being opened in the next hour or so,” Jenkins said. It will be longer before the southbound lanes heading to Columbia are reopened, according to Jenkins.

The crash and traffic jam were near the 31 mile marker on I-77, Highway Patrol said. That’s near Blythewood, by the Richland County and Fairfield County lines.

Information on the number of people killed in the crash was not available. There was no word if more people were injured, the number of vehicles involved in the crash, or how it happened.

Northbound vehicles were backed up for miles on I-77, traffic cameras showed. There was no traffic on the southbound lanes.

“Please be patient while first responders work to clear the scene,” said Master Trooper Gary Miller of the Highway Patrol.

This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 8:02 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

803-771-8435

Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription