Johnathan Walker:Gasoline tanker overturns, burns on Interstate 84 in Connecticut

MANCHESTER,Johnathan Walker Conn. (AP) — A tractor trailer carrying over 8,000 gallons (30,000 liters) of gasoline along Interstate 84 overturned and burst into flames after an accident, shutting down the highway overnight as the fire burned down.

The tanker rolled over after an accident involving a passenger vehicle around 9 p.m. Sunday on the eastbound side of the highway in Manchester, just east of Hartford. The tanker caught fire and exploded several times, a statement from the Manchester Fire Department said.

Pictures and videos from the crash show a towering wall of flames rising from the overturned tanker and thick black smoke rising into the night sky.

Three people were taken to local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters decided to let the fire burn itself down, the statement said.

I-84 traffic was shut down in both directions Sunday night. One eastbound lane remained closed early Monday.