Four drivers escaped a massive fire on I-55 Monday morning, but one driver is dead after two semi-tractor trailers and three cars caught fire near the Pulaski Road exit.
The driver who died was in a minivan beneath one of the trucks, police said.
One of the trucks was carrying 17,800 pounds of paint, according to State Police, and the other was hauling 40,000 pounds of frozen meat. Both trucks were reduced to charred, melted husks after the fire.
The accident took place just before 11 a.m. and was fully extinguished by noon. State Police are still investigating the accident, but the trucks reportedly collided with each other.
A hazmat response was called, and a Chicago Fire Department crew dispatched from Midway Airport hit the trucks with foam to put out the blazing trailer fires. Five ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
Traffic remains backed up for miles, and the outbound lanes of I-55 remain closed. This post will be updated with further developments.