I-70 reopens in Hancock Co. after hours-long closure

HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. – A vehicle fire shut down a stretch of I-70 in Hancock County Thursday morning, leading to a closure that lasted about six hours.

According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, the incident happened on eastbound I-70 near mile marker 112. That’s a few miles east of the Greenfield exit.

An alert from INDOT indicated the fire involved a semi. Photos showed firefighters spraying the charred trailer of an Amazon truck with water.

Greg Duda with Hancock County 911 said the semi experienced a mechanical problem around 4:30 a.m. that led to the fire. Initially, one lane was able to get by very slowly to relieve some of the traffic congestion.

There was a secondary crash a few miles away from the semi fire, Duda said.

Duda estimated it would take about two hours for the drivers stuck in the backup to make it through. He believed it would take much longer for the entire interstate to reopen.

I-70 eastbound was closed at the Greenfield exit, with traffic being diverted off the interstate. Duda said the recommended detours on State Road 9 and U.S. 40 would see considerable congestion.

Another problem: drivers stuck in traffic fell asleep and police had to wake them up. Hancock County 911 hoped to have the interstate back to normal by 10 a.m.

The interstate finally reopened around 10:20 a.m., according to an alert from INDOT

“All accidents, disabled vehicles, and sleepy drivers are taken care of – the road is back open,” Hancock County 911 wrote on social media. “Have a great holiday weekend – safe travels.”