An overpass was set aflame after a semitrailer hauling thousands of gallons of fuel overturned in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The tanker hit a guardrail on an on-ramp from Interstate 465 to I-70, which split the tank and overturned the semi, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.
Witnesses told the fire department that the driver of the truck exited the tanker on his own with his clothes on fire. The driver, identified as Jeffrey Denman, 59, was in critical condition at a hospital.
At least two witnesses, identified as Holly McNally and Mitch Navarre, stopped to help the driver get away from the fiery wreckage.
The semi was carrying 4,000 gallons of jet fuel when it overturned, triggering two explosions that caused a much larger fire, the fire department said.
"Holly told firefighters that the jet fuel was literally pouring down the embankment as they retreated," the fire department's statement said.
Investigators believe unsafe speed contributed to the rollover.