THE
THE CLOUD
THE CLOUD OF SMOKE. INVESTIGATORS NOW ARE NOT SURE
HOW MANY PEOPLE DIED IN TODAY'S
CRASH AND FIRE ON I-70 AT
DENVER WEST.
DENVER WEST. MULTIPLE DEATHS IS WHAT THEY
ARE SAYING.
ARE SAYING. SKY9 IS OVER THE CRASH SCENE
TONIGHT WHERE THE VEHICLES
STILL HAVE NOT BEEN MOVED.
LAKEWOOD POLICE SAID ONE BODY
WAS FOUND IN THE WRECKAGE AFTER
THEIR INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT THEY
THOUGHT ONE PERSON HAD DIED.
WE KNOW SIX PEOPLE WENT TO THE
HOSPITAL, ALL OF THEM SURVIVED
AND THAT INCLUDES THE SEMI
TRUCK DRIVER BELIEVED TO HAVE
TRIGGERED THE CRASH.
>> AT LEAST THREE SEMI TRUCKS
AND 12 CARS INVOLVED AND MAY BE
MORE.
MORE.
MORE. THE
MORE. THE HIGHWAY AND BRIDGE ABOVE IT
SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED.
SIGNIFICANTLY DAMAGED. WEST METRO SAYS ONE OF THEIR
FIREFIGHTERS WAS ALSO HURT,
POSSIBLY HIT BY DEBRIS FROM A
TIRE EXPLOSION, THEY SAY HE HAS
MINOR INJURIES.
MINOR INJURIES. >> THE CRASH HAPPENED JUST
BEFORE 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON IN
THE EASTBOUND LANES OF I-70.
THIS IS A BUSY STRETCH BIKE
COLORADO MILLS MALL AND
SURROUNDED BY BUSINESSES.
MOMENTS BEFORE THE CRASH, A MAN
NAMED JOSH McCUTCHEON WAS LIVE
STREAMING ON YOUTUBE WHILE HE
WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY
WHEN THE TRUCK FLEW PAST HIM.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME, GUYS.
OH MY GOD!
>> THAT TRUCK COMING UP ON THE
SHOULDER APPEARED TO SLAM ON
THE STOPPED TRAFFIC.
McCUTCHEON TURNED HIS CAMERA
AROUND AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT HE
SAW, THE PLUME OF SMOKE AHEAD.
HE PULLED UP ALONGSIDE, THIS IS
ON THE DENVER WEST COLORADO
MILLS BOULEVARD OVERPASS AND
YOU CAN SEE THE INTENSITY OF
THE FIRE AND SMOKE DENISE THE
BRIDGE.
BRIDGE.
BRIDGE. >> INCREDIBLE IMAGE.
IT WILL BE A LONG NIGHT AND
LONG INVESTIGATION AHEAD.
JENNIFER MECKLES OUT AT THE
CRASH SITE RIGHT NOW WITH AN
UPDATE ON THE INVESTIGATION.
>> Reporter: RIGHT NOW, THE
INVESTIGATION IS A LITTLE SLOW
STARTED BECAUSE FIREFIGHTERS
ARE STILL WORKING AT THIS POINT
TO PUT OUT HOTSPOTS.
INVESTIGATORS CANNOT GET IN
THERE AND DO THEIR WORK UNTIL
FIREFIGHTERS CLEAR THEM AND SAY
IT IS SAFE ENOUGH TO PROCEED.
EASTBOUND I-70 STILL CLOSED
TONIGHT AND WILL BE FOR A
WHILE.
WHILE.
WHILE. THERE'S A SLIGHT DETOUR TO GET
WESTBOUND, I WOULD NOT
RECOMMEND IT.
RECOMMEND IT. WE CANNOT GET UNDER THE BRIDGE
TONIGHT, THEY TAKE PEOPLE OFF
THE HIGHWAY OVER AROUND AND
BACK DOWN AGAIN.
IT WILL BE CLOSED FOR A LONG
TIME, YOU HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO
DO.
DO.
DO. A
DO. A LITTLE RECAP, WHAT WE KNOW SO
FAR, SEMI TRUCK DRIVER COMING
EASTBOUND INTO THE CITY LOSING
CONTROL SOMEHOW, INVESTIGATORS
ARE NOT SURE IF THIS IS A BREAK
ISSUE, MECHANICAL ISSUE OR WHAT
HAPPENED, JUST UNDER THE
BRIDGE, THE SEMI TRUCK CRASHED
INTO OTHER TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC WE
KNOW WAS BACKED UP FROM ANOTHER
ACCIDENT FURTHER AHEAD ON I-70
THIS AFTERNOON.
THIS AFTERNOON. POLICE TELL US THE SEMI TRUCK
DRIVER SURVIVED THE CRASH, THE
HOPE TO TALK TO HIM LATER AND
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
AND CDOT SAID THAT FIRE DAMAGED
THE ROAD, THE BRIDGE AND THEY
HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO STILL
BEFORE THE ROAD CAN REOPEN.
>> THE MAIN MESSAGE TO MOTORISTS
IS THAT TO AVOID THE AREA AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE HERE AT I-70
AND ALSO THE MORNING COMMUTE
WILL BE VERY SLOW GOING IN THIS
AREA AS WELL TOO.
AS WE DO OUR WORK TO GET THIS
ROAD REOPENED AS QUICKLY BUT
MOST IMPORTANTLY AS SAFELY AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> Reporter: TWO INTERESTING
THINGS WEST METRO SHARED WITH
US TONIGHT, THE FIRST BEING,
WHEN THEY ARRIVED AND THE
ENGINES COMING ON SCENE, A LOT
OF PEOPLE NOT INVOLVED IN THE
CRASH PARKED THEIR CARS AND GOT
OUT AND TOOK OFF TO THE SIDE OF
THE ROAD, THEY WANTED TO TAKE
PICTURES AND GET OUT OF THE
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. IT
WAY. IT MADE IT TOUGH FOR THE
ENGINES TO GET THROUGH.
WEST METRO SAID ONE OF THE
ENGINES HAD TO GO OFF-ROAD AND
THAT TRUCK HAS A LITTLE DAMAGE,
NOT TO THE POINT WHERE IT COULD
NOT OPERATE, NOT SOMETHING THEY
WANT TO DEAL OF.
ALSO, WEST METRO FIRE SAID THEY
RAN THROUGH THEIR WATER SUPPLY
QUICKLY, EXTRA UNITS AND
AGENCIES BROUGHT MORE WATER,
THAT DO RUN VERY LONG HOSES
BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING ON IT
INTERSTATE, THERE ARE NOT
HYDRANTS RIGHT ALONG THEM.
A FEW CHALLENGING THINGS, A
CHALLENGING FIRE AND IT WILL
BEGIN A LONG INVESTIGATION
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. >> YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOME
PEOPLE WOULD RUN FROM BOTH
CARS.
CARS.
CARS. WITNESSES IN A BUILDING NEARBY
SAID THEY SAW PEOPLE RUNNING UP
THE EMBANKMENT, RUNNING TO THE
NORTH TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM
THE FIRE AND AWAY FROM THE
SMOKE WHILE THE FIREFIGHTERS
TRY TO MOVE IN.
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >>> THE INTENSITY OF THAT FIRE,
THE SMOKE, THE FLAMES COULD BE
SEEN FOR MILES.
WITNESSES AT BUSINESSES ALONG
THE INTERSTATE DESCRIBE THAT
LOUD BOOM, THEY FELT WINDOWS
SHAKE IN SOME CASES AND CAPTURE
IMAGES OF THE CRASH.
JORDAN CHAVEZ HAS BEEN OUT AT
THE SCENE SPEAKING TO THOSE
WITNESSES.
WITNESSES. >> Reporter: EVEN TONIGHT, IS
PEOPLE DRIVE RIGHT IN FRONT OF
US, SLOWING DOWN, TAKING A LOOK
AT THE SCENE BEHIND ME, FROM
THIS VANTAGE POINT, YOU CAN SEE
THE CRASH SITE IN ITS ENTIRETY,
THE SCORCHED SEMI TRUCK, THE
BURNED UP CARS, CREWS STILL
WORKING TO PUT OUT SOME
HOTSPOTS.
HOTSPOTS.
HOTSPOTS. EVEN AT THIS LATE HOUR, PEOPLE
ARE LINED UP ON BOTH SIDES OF
THE HIGHWAY, STILL IN SHOCK
THIS HAPPENED ALTOGETHER.
WE HAVE TALKED TO PEOPLE
THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING, ONE THING WITNESSES
KEEP TELLING US, THAT WILL STAY
WITH THEM, HOW LOUD EVERYTHING
WAS AT THAT TIME BEFORE --
>> IT CAME TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF
MY TRUCK.
MY TRUCK.
MY TRUCK. I LOOK OVER AND SEE A CAR ON
FIRE.
FIRE.
FIRE. >>
FIRE. >> THERE ARE SIX CARS SCORCHED
VEHICLES FLIPPED OVER.
EVERYTHING UNDER HERE IS
SCORCHED FROM THE FLAMES FROM
THE TRUCK.
THE TRUCK. >> I DON'T KNOW WHEN THEY WILL
OPEN THIS BACK UP AGAIN, IT
WILL BE A VERY LONG TIME.
>> Reporter: HAVE TO TELL YOU,
EVEN THOUGH THAT CRASH MAY HAVE
HAPPENED A FEW HOURS AGO, YOU
CAN STILL SMELL FROM THAT FIRE
EARLIER, THE BIG QUESTION NOW
IS WHAT WILL THIS LOOK LIKE
WHEN THE SUN RISES AS EVERYBODY
ELSE'S HEADED TO WORK?
WILL WE STILL SEE PEOPLE
FALLING DOWN?
FALLING DOWN? WILL WE STILL SEE THE SAME
SCENE NOW?
SCENE NOW? >> BECAUSE THERE ARE QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHY THEY'RE NOT MOVING
THOSE CARS, IT DOES SEEM LIKE
THEY ARE STILL LOOKING TO SEE
IF POSSIBLY THERE ARE VICTIMS
IN THOSE CARS.
>> Reporter: WELL, I WILL TELL
YOU, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SOME
GUIDELINES WHILE OUT HERE,
UNCLEAR EXACTLY WHAT IS
HAPPENING WITH THE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. WHERE TOLD CRIME SCENE
INVESTIGATORS HAVE SHOWED UP
AND PREPARING THE SCENE AT THIS
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. >>
TIME. >> OKAY, THAT IS SADLY WHAT WE
EXPECTED.
EXPECTED.
EXPECTED. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >>> LAKEWOOD POLICE SAID
TRAFFIC WAS AT A STANDSTILL AS
WE TALKED ABOUT ON I-70 PRIOR
TO THE CRASH BECAUSE OF AN
EARLIER CRASH.
EARLIER CRASH. IT WAS 3.5 MILES EAST, 10
PEOPLE HURT IN THAT CRASH THAT
HAPPENED A HALF HOUR PRIOR.
A SCHOOL BUS AND A SEMI TRUCK
COLLIDED, SIX OF THOSE INJURED
TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, THIS IS
ON EASTBOUND I-70.
JEFFERSON COUNTY SAID TWO DOZEN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ON
THE BUS, POLICE DID SAY ALL OF
THE STUDENTS HAD BEEN REUNITED
WITH THEIR PARENTS.
THERE HAVE BEEN MASSIVE FIRES
ON COLORADO HIGHWAYS BEFORE
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. IN
THIS. IN MAY 2017, A FUEL TANKER
CRASHED INTO THE MEETING ALONG
I-25 AT ORCHARD AND BELLEVUE
AND THAT CAUGHT FIRE AND
SPILLED FUEL ACROSS THE HIGHWAY.
THE DRIVER TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL, CREWS HAD TO WORK
THROUGH THE NIGHT TO MAKE SURE
THE ROADS WERE OPEN FOR THE
MORNING COMMUTE.
MORNING COMMUTE. >>> A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR
LATER, SOUTHBOUND I-25 SHUTDOWN
AT ARAPAHOE, THERE WAS A LOAD
OF HAY THAT CAUGHT FIRE.
NO ONE WAS HURT AND DID NOT
RESULT IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE
ROAD.
ROAD.
ROAD. DID
ROAD. DID NOT HAVE THE FUEL FROM THE
TANKER.
TANKER.
TANKER. HERE WE HAVE THE FUEL FROM ALL
THE SEMI TRUCKS AND VEHICLES
AND THAT EXTENDED SITUATION
WHERE THEY WERE BURNING BEFORE
THEY COULD GET WATER IN THERE.
CDOT SAID THEY WILL NOT OPEN
ANYTHING UNTIL THEY KNOW THE
ROAD IS SAFE TO DRIVE ON OR THE
OVERPASS IS SAFE TO DRIVE
UNDER.
UNDER.
UNDER. IF
UNDER. IF THIS IS PART OF YOUR
COMMUTE, HAVE A DIFFERENT PLAN.
CDOT SAID COLFAX, 6th, C 470,
THOSE WILL BE BOGGED DOWN.