WESTFORD — The Westford Fire Department (WFD) along with Massachusetts State Police officers responded to the scene of a fire this morning, which occurred after a tractor-trailer caught ablaze while heading southbound on I-495.
The tractor-trailer was reported to have been transporting construction demolition debris, before it caught fire just after 11:00 a.m. by exit 83 near Boston Road, which resulted in a major traffic jam.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on Twitter, “all southbound lanes were closed about 11:30 a.m., but the left lane opened to allow through traffic about 10 minutes later.”
The WFD reported that the first responders to the scene were off-duty firefighters, who assisted the Chelmsford Fire Department and MassDOT in emptying the tractor-trailer’s contents, and putting out the fire, which occurred around 11:45 a.m.
Additionally, firefighters could only use water stored in the firetrucks due to the lack of available fire hydrants along the highway.
Firefighters reported that there were additional accidents or injuries, however the cause of the fire still remains unknown.
According to MassDOT, “all travel lanes were reopened as of 4:18 p.m.”, with “significant residual delays” still ongoing in traffic.
