Truck Hauling Toxic Chemicals Crashes on I-24– Traffic Stopped for Many Hours

A crash on Interstate 24 Wednesday morning around 3 a.m. involved two semi-trucks that caused a fire. Both drivers were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
One of the trucks overturned hauling toxic chemicals, closing Interstate 24 in both directions and evacuations were ordered by Rutherford County officials.
Tim Hooker with the Rutherford County Emergency Management Agency explained the contents in the truck were chlorine-based pool chemicals.
The office of Rutherford County Emergency Management initially asked all residents and motorists to stay clear of the area citing HAZMAT concerns but later asked all residents of Buchanan Estates to evacuate the area.
Residents were asked to move to the Patterson Park Community Center on Mercury Boulevard in Murfreesboro.
150 homes in the area were evacuated for several hours until residents were allowed to return to their homes just after 12:30 p.m. after crews had fully extinguished the fire.
The HAZMAT plume extended about a mile southward from the crash site and winds spread the plume southward.
The interstate re-opened Wednesday night many, many hours after the accident.