Auburn Hills police: Pickup truck burst into flames in crash, spilled fuel on I-75 near M-59

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – A burning pickup truck shut down I-75 in both directions for hours Thursday morning between South Boulevard and M-59. 

Auburn Hills police said the pickup was hauling a landscaping dump trailer and traveling northbound on I-75 when the driver lost control about 7:30 a.m. and struck a construction median barrier. The pickup launched over the median wall and onto the southbound side of the interstate. 

The impact ruptured the pickup's fuel tank and ignited a fire. Moreover, an auxiliary fuel tank in the bed of the truck also ruptured and spilled on the interstate. About 30 gallons of diesel fuel was spilled onto both north and southbound I-75, police said. Dan’s Excavating, the construction company working on the ongoing I-75 project, and the Michigan Department transportation assisted with the clean-up. 

The driver suffered only minor injuries and refused medical treatment. No other vehicles were involved in the crash. 

Firefighters from the Auburn Hills Fire Department extinguished the flames and helped clean up the fuel spill. 

North and southbound I-75 were partially reopened about 9:45 a.m. The interstate was fully reopened to traffic by 11 a.m.

The Michigan Department of Transportation tweeted a photo of the fire:

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