At least three people died in five fiery crashes early Thursday that shut down a 20-mile stretch of the Interstate 95 in Florida, officials said.
The crashes were reported in Volusia County as the region was hit with dense fog and low visibility conditions.
Four separate crashes unfolded on the northbound side of I-95, and one was reported southbound, resulting in one death on the northbound side and two on the southbound side, the Florida Highway Patrol said as of 6 a.m.
One child was flown to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and an unknown number of people were taken to area hospitals, according to the state agency. The child was stable, the FHP said.
FHP initially reported three separate crashes involving at least 15 vehicles, including some semitrucks, at 1:30 a.m. in the northbound and southbound lanes of I-95 near mile marker 244 in Volusia County.
Officials have not shared a final count of how many vehicles were involved.
Due to the crashes, the I-95 was shut down from mile marker 249 to 231, FHP said.
It’s not clear what led to the crashes but video on social media show fire and what appears to be an explosion at the scene.
There was “zero visibility” at the time of the crashes, FHP said to NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando, as Volusia County was under a dense fog warning through 7 a.m.
Volusia County Sheriff Michael J. Chitwood tweeted early Thursday that the crashes remain under investigation and traffic continues to be shut down on part of the highway.
