Packages destroyed in fiery truck crash off I-540 in Knightdale

TO OUR NEWS TEAM AT WRAL DOT

COM SLASH REPORT IT. RIGHT NOW

ON WRAL. A LIVE LOOK AT A VERY

WELCOME SIGHT FOR WAKE COUNTY

COMMUTERS. A ROAD THAT RUNS

RIGHT UNDER I-540, IN

KNIGHTDALE OPENED JUST IN TIME

FOR THE EVENING COMMUTE.

HERE'S WHY IT WAS CLOSED ALL

DAY. A FEDEX TRUCK DROVE OVER

THE SIDE OF A BRIDGE ON I-540.

>> IT SAID THE 5 O'CLOCK THIS

MORNING AND CAUGHT FIRE THAT

BURNED FOR HOURS ON LINWOOD

ROAD BELOW WRAL'S THERE ON THE

SCENE ALL DAY. THE BREAKING

NEWS TRACKER SHOWED US SOME OF

THE FIRST PICTURES AND VIDEO

FROM THE SCENE DURING OUR

MORNING NEWS. THIS SHOT FROM

SKY 5 GIVES YOU A BETTER IDEA

OF HOW CLOSE TO 5.40, THIS ALL

PLAYED OUT AND HOW MUCH THERE

WAS TO CLEAN UP. IT HAPPENED IN

KNIGHTDALE ALONG THE LAST

SECTION OF 5.40, BEFORE IT ENDS

AT 87.

>> THAT'S WHERE WRAL'S FLYNN

SNYDER HAS SPENT THE DAY WHEN

EVERYTHING ON BOARD THAT TRUCK

HAS BEEN DESTROYED.

>> YESTERDAY, ONE FIRE OFFICIAL

HERE ON SCENE SAID THAT THE

TRUCK WAS FULL AT THE TIME OF

THE CRASH AND WAS CARRYING

ABOUT 100 PACKAGES WHEN IT

BURNED. WHAT'S THAT WIND

TRAILERS THAT ARE BEING HAULED

WERE TOWED OFF. CREWS BROUGHT

IN THESE MASSIVE DUMPSTERS

UNDERNEATH THE I-540, BRIDGE TO

CLEAR ANY DEBRIS, INCLUDING

THOSE BOXES. WE ARE PRESSING

FEDEX FOR ANSWERS. THE COMPANY

NOW SAYS THEY'RE REACHING OUT

TO IMPACTED CUSTOMERS.

>> IT WASN'T. THE NATIONAL

HOUSE EXPECTED TO SEE ON HIS

DRIVE TO BREAKFAST THIS

MORNING. SAW THE FEDEX AND AND

I SAID, I'M GLAD MY PACKAGE

WAS IN ON THAT.

HE'S WASN'T. BUT ROUGHLY 100

OTHER PACKAGES WERE RECORDING

TO FIREFIGHTERS ON SCENE.

>> ALL OF THEM WERE DESTROYED.

WE ASKED FEDEX WHAT IS BELIEVED

TO HAVE CAUSED THE CRASH AND

WHERE THE TRUCK WAS GOING WHERE

THE COMPANY DID NOT DIRECTLY

ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. A

SPOKESPERSON SENT US THIS

STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, WE

ARE TAKING STEPS TO RECOVER AND

TRANSPORT THE AFFECTED PACKAGES

AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE

AFFECTED. SHIPPERS WILL BE

NOTIFIED ABOUT DAMAGE PACKAGES

AND CUSTOMERS WITH QUESTIONS

ABOUT THEIR SHIPMENTS CAN VISIT

FEDEX DOT COM.

I'M A GOLD MEDAL AND SCATTERED

DEBRIS ON LINWOOD ERODED.

I-540, TOOK HOURS TO CLEAN UP.

SHELLEY CARROLL SAW THE CLEANUP

ON HER MORNING WALK. IT LOOKS

LIKE.

>> IF YOU MISSED THE BRIDGE,

BUT HE CAME DOWN THE EMBANKMENT

ACROSS THE STREET INTO THE

WOODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM

WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE TO

MONITOR ANY IMPACTS FROM FUEL

THAT SPILLED DURING THE CRASH.

>> THAT FUEL MADE IT HARD FOR

FIREFIGHTERS TO PUT OUT THE

FLAMES. ALSO USE OF DIESEL

FUEL.

>> IT WAS BURNING. SO WE HAVE

TROUBLE WHAT WE CALL FUEL THAT

FAR. IN TOTAL, PUTTING IT OUT

AND GET INTO IT BECAUSE OF JUST

4 FARLOW. THE SHOW WAS FULL.

>> KNIGHTDALE TOWN OFFICIALS

SAY THE DRIVER IS ALERT AND

TALKING AFTER BEING TAKEN TO

THE HOSPITAL WITH INJURIES.

HE'S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE

SO NEARLY 12 HOURS LATER AFTER

THIS CRASH, THE SMELL OF BURNT

MATERIAL STILL LINGERS HERE

IN THE IRAN WOULD ROAD AT

I-540, RIGHT NOW. POLICE HAVE

NOT ANNOUNCED A CAUSE TO THIS

CRASH.

>> ONE SIDE OR WRAL NEWS LIVE

IN KNIGHTDALE. WREL MADE SURE

THIS INFORMATION WAS IN YOUR

PHONE FIRST THING THIS MORNING.

SO YOU CAN PLAN AROUND THE

CRASH.

>> TO RECEIVE NEWS ALERTS LIKE

THIS ONE SIGN UP ON THE WRAL