OLD LYME — The driver of a tractor trailer that caught fire on I-95 South early Friday, shutting down the highway through the morning rush hour, was charged with reckless driving, state police said.
Myron Hawkins, 54, of Moreno Valley in California, was arrested based on evidence found at the scene and the results of a truck inspection, state police said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at Superior Court in New London.
The highway was shut down between Exits 71 and 70 until about 11 a.m. state police said.
The fire started in the brake area around 4 a.m. and the tractor trailer became engulfed in flames. Approximately 200 gallons of diesel fuel spilled onto the right lane, state police said.
The state Department of Transportation set up a detour and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the scene to help clean up.
By Hilda Munoz, Hartford Courant