Around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and Colorado State Patrol responded to a fully engulfed diesel fire on U.S. 25 between Colo. 402 and U.S. 34, near mile marker 255.
The fire was the result of a fuel tanker carrying an estimated 11,000 gallons of fuel, which has spilled onto the road.
Jared Fiel, Colorado Department of Transportation communications manager for Northeastern Colorado, had yet to learn what caused the crash as of 9:30 a.m. He did state the area where the crash occurred is under construction and due to the curve that currently exists in the road has been an area where several crashes have occurred.
The Loveland Fire Rescue Authority stated, in a Facebook post, they do not expect to reopen the highway before 1 p.m. as hazardous material remediation companies are working to clean up the spill. Crews are building an earthen dam around the site to keep the fuel out of the river, Fiel said.
Traffic in all directions is being diverted to alternate routes including U.S. 85 and U.S. 287.
The fuel tanker has been removed from the crash site.
Shortly after arriving on the scene, first responders extricated the driver of the fuel tanker. The driver suffered only minor injuries, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority reported in a Facebook post.
