Video: Accident involving petrol tanker causes massive fire and the closure of busy Detroit interstate

The blaze is said to have caused a number of mini explosions and a massive plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles

The tanker truck burns on Detroit's busy Interstate 54

A main road into Michigan had to be closed on Wednesday when an accident involving a tanker truck caused a major fire.

According to police, the incident occurred on the Interstate 94 to the west of the city, when a vehicle cut in front of the petrol carrying truck, causing it to swerve into a nearby barrier.

The fire caused a number of mini explosions and created a massive plume of smoke that could be seen for miles away.

Footage taken from fellow motorists showed the scale of the fire.

In total, it took firefighters two hours to eventually put out the blaze.

Emergency services also had to ensure that hazardous chemicals did not flow into the nearby Rouge River, Police Lieutenant Douglas Topolski told the media on Wednesday.

The state’s transport department said that the road would be closed throughout the weekend as crews continue the clean-up job and review the structural damage caused by the blast.

Additional Reporting by Reuters