Highway 183 reopens after semi-truck fire shut it down

Highway 183 has reopened after being shut down for several hours. The northbound portion of the highway was shut down near Lake Creek Parkway for several hours after a semi-truck crashed and caught on fire. 

According to the Austin Fire Department, the semi-truck hit a cement barrier in the median and caught fire around 4:30 am on Saturday, March 25th, 2017. The fuel tanks in semi-trucks are upwards of 100 to 150 gallons. According to firefighters, some of that fuel made it on the ground. Battalion Chief Josh Portie is with the Austin Fire Department "We brought those tools out, we put them into place we were able to manage the incident and put the fire out. try to limit the damage to the roadway," he said.

The driver was able to get out of the burning truck, he was taken to a local hospital. 

His condition is unknown at this time. 

Officials with the fire department said water is not effective on fuel fires. The highway had to be shut down for several hours while hazmat crews used special equipment and foam to put out the flames. "We want to make sure that there's no more hazard. If there's still fuel on the ground or in the area it could ignite so we want to make sure that's cleaned up. we want to make sure the integrity is sound and everybody is safe," Chief Portie said.