Gasoline tanker explodes on I-75 north of Detroit
HAZEL PARK, Mich. — An interstate north of Detroit is shut down following a gasoline tanker explosion and overpass collapse.
Flames are shooting hundreds of feet in the air from the site on Interstate 75 in Hazel Park, about 10 miles north of downtown Detroit.
Michigan State Police say there are no immediate reports of injuries. But Lt. Shannon Sims says the tanker driver hasn't been located and the wreckage of the truck can't be approached because of intense heat.
Sims says the tanker was headed north on I-75 when it exploded beneath the 9 Mile Road overpass about 8 p.m. Half the overpass has collapsed onto the northbound lanes of I-75 while the rest remains standing.
Sims says authorities don't yet know what caused the explosion.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
HAZEL PARK, Mich. (AP) — Flames are shooting hundreds of feet in the air from a gasoline tanker explosion that has forced the shutdown of an interstate north of Detroit.
Interstate 75 in Hazel Park, about 10 miles north of downtown Detroit, was shut down Wednesday evening.
Radio station WWJ-AM reports that an overpass at the crash site collapsed after the tanker and a tractor-trailer collided about 8:30 p.m. The station says several other vehicles may have been involved in the crash, but only one minor injury was immediately reported.
A Hazel Park Fire Department dispatcher says he cannot immediately provide details.
Witnesses say flames and black, billowing plumes of smoke are reaching 150 to 200 feet into the air. WWJ reports gas that has reached sewers along the freeway has caught fire.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A tanker explosion on Interstate 75  has destroyed a part of the Nine Mile Road overpass in Hazel Park, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit.  One man, truck driver Ronald Martinez, has been killed and only 4 injuries have been reported. 
I-75 (red) in Michigan
On July 15, 2009 at about 8:15 PM EST, a tanker carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline collided with a semi-truck from Meijer grocery stores, causing an explosion that resulted in heavy black smoke that could be seen for miles. 

It is believed that the tanker was clipped from behind by driver Saied Haidarian-Shahri, 27, of nearby Clawson.  The tanker's two parts broke in half when a semi-truck rammed into the gasoline-filled tanker and it exploded.  The driver of the semi-truck sustained only minor injuries.

Saied Haidarian-Shahri was a relatively new driver, getting his license within the past 6 months. Reports say he was doing 70 mph in a 50 mph zone, called the "9 Mile Curve", along the Chrysler Freeway.  There were no traffic violations on his license. He has been blamed for causing the accident. 

The explosion resulted in the collapse of the Nine Mile Road overpass over the freeway. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has decided that the rest of the overpass cannot be saved. 

MDOT has closed down the freeway between Interstate 696 and Eight Mile Road both northbound and southbound. Local streets surrounding the site have been closed too. This is expected to cause trouble for commuters who travel one of the most used freeways in the metro area.

About 2,000 residents of Hazel Park are now without power due to the accident.