Three people were killed and several others were injured in multiple crashes early Thursday on I-95 in Florida after heavy fog drastically reduced visibility, officials said.
WFTV reported that five separate wrecks, involving at least 17 vehicles, shut down an 18-mile stretch of I-95 in both directions in Volusia County after troopers responded at approximately 1:30 a.m.
Citing Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officials, the station reported that three people died and several others were rushed to hospitals.
FHP told WKMG that four crashes, involving 11 vehicles, happened on the northbound side of I-95, killing one person.
On the southbound side, two people died in a six-vehicle wreck involving four tractor-trailers, a van and an SUV, FHP officials said.
The drivers of one of the big rigs and the SUV died in the crash, according to troopers.
A child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, FHP told WKMG, and an unknown number of people were taken to Halifax Health.
Troopers said at least two tractor-trailers caught on fire during the crashes, and video posted by WFTV showed one tractor-trailer engulfed in flames.
According to WKMG, a combination of smoke from a nearby controlled burn, fog, and temperature inversion created a weather event known as "super fog," which reduced visibility to zero.
"Unfortunately, super fog contributed to the incident on I-95 in Volusia Co early this AM," The National Weather Service tweeted. "With super fog, visibility is lowered to <10ft. It has caused several large pileups, namely on I-4 near Davenport (2008) & on I-75 S of Gainesville (2012). Our thoughts are with the victims."
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page that traffic is closed on I-95 in both directions in southern Volusia County for the next several hours.
"Please avoid these areas and use extra caution," department officials wrote. "More info will be released when it becomes available."
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.