Fire shuts down both directions of I-5 at JBLM after wrong way vehicle hits semi

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: One northbound lane (far right) has been opened. NB backups extend into Thurston County.

UDPATE 4:45 p.m.: A driver has been arrested.

UPDATE 4:40 p.m.: Three of the five southbound lanes have been reopened, according to the WSP.

A wrong-way vehicle hit a semi truck and set it on fire Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord, shutting down both directions of travel on the busy freeway.

Washington State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Robert Reyer said a Ford Explorer traveling south in the northbound lanes hit a semi pulling a flatbed trailer at about 3:17 p.m., resulting in the fire.

The semi was pushed against the concrete barrier which caused the fire, Reyer said. The semi was hauling metal coils.

“Luckily, it was a non-combustible load,” Reyer said.

The driver of the Ford was taken to Madigan Army Hospital for evaluation, Reyer said, but there are no serious injuries reported. The 53-year-old male driver, a Bremerton resident, is in custody for suspicion of driving under the influence, Reyer said.

The wreck is just south of JBLM’s Madigan gate.

As of 4:25 p.m., both directions are closed. Southbound lanes were saturated with oil from the wreck and will take time to clean, Reyer said.

Reyer had no estimation when the freeway would be reopened. But, he said, southbound lanes would likely reopen before northbound.

JBLM spokesperson Joe Piek said the driver exited the northbound lanes of I-5 at the Dupont gate and then reentered the freeway going north. The driver next exited the freeway at either Exit 122 (Madigan) or Exit 123 (Losgistics) and then reentered the northbound lanes but headed south, causing the collision.

Piek said JBLM has notified its personnel of the closures. Drivers can exit the base out the Madigan gate going north or leave via the DuPont gate headed south.