Tractor-trailer used by US postal service catches fire on I-64
A tractor-trailer contracted by the United States Postal Service to carry mail caught fire Wednesday morning, causing major delays for eastbound traffic on Interstate 64.
The Virginia Department of Transportation reported a vehicle on fire blocking all lanes at 5:50 a.m. Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to the scene just east of the 4th View Street exit in Willoughby Spit to find heavy fire consuming the truck.
No one was injured and the truck was the only vehicle involved, the fire department said.
The tractor-trailer was privately owned and contracted by USPS and the driver had USPS identification, according to a Norfolk Fire-Rescue spokesperson. A postal service spokesperson did not respond Wednesday to questions about the potential loss of mail.
Virginia ranks worst in the nation for on-time mail delivery service. An audit released this month by the Postal Service’s inspector general found significant problems at a new regional processing facility in Richmond, which handles mail for Hampton Roads.
Editorial: Virginia’s worst-in-the-nation mail service demands remedies, accountability
Road closures due to the fire extended for several hours Wednesday. One eastbound lane opened at 8 a.m., and all lanes were reopened by 10:30 a.m. Exit 273 to 4th View Street/Ocean View was blocked for clean-up until 1 p.m. Congestion extended to the I-664 interchange in Hampton.
Norfolk Fire-Rescue worked with the Coast Guard, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and Virginia Department of Emergency Management to mitigate any hazards due to runoff into nearby waterways.
Gavin Stone, 757-712-4806, gavin.stone@virginiamedia.com
Cianna Morales, cianna.rothwell@virginiamedia.com
