All lanes open on I-95 following multi-vehicle wreck near Rocky Mount

The wreck, which happened around 10 p.m. about one mile south of the U.S. Highway 64 interchange, forced authorities to close both directions of the highway for a short time. Southbound lanes were reopened overnight, but northbound lanes remained closed until about 7:20 a.m. Thursday, when officials reopened one of the two lanes to let dozens of other tractor-trailers pass by.

The road was fully re-opened to traffic around 10:30 a.m.

According to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, fire from the wreck damaged the road surface and guardrails. Drivers are urged to use caution when traveling through the area.

Crews used dish detergent to clear cooking oil spilled by one of the trucks off the road surface.

All three drivers involved in the wreck were transported to the hospital. One was airlifted to the Jaycee Burn Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medical Center.

The names of the drivers were not released, but two were in critical condition early Thursday.

Officials weren't sure what caused the accident, but said the tractor-trailer carrying cooking oil caught fire. The fire spread to the cab of a second tractor-trailer following the wreck, but all three drivers were out of their cabs when emergency officials arrived on scene.