FLORENCE TWP. — A crash between two semis early this morning shut down the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike for about an hour and required the assistance of fire and hazmat crews when the contents of one of the semis spilled all over the highway and caught fire, according to Trooper Brian Lander from the Milan Post of the State Highway Patrol.

Andrey Kozlov, 30, an independent driver from Washington state, was pulled off on the right berm of the Turnpike about 3 miles west of the Lorain County line.

He was attempting to pull back onto the roadway about 4:40 a.m. when he was struck from behind by a semi driven by Stephen Costic, 49, of Streetsboro, a driver for Pitt Ohio Express.

Neither driver was hurt, but the trailer of Costic’s semi basically fell apart, according to Lander, and its contents, paint and acetone, spilled all over the roadway and caught on fire.

The fire burned for about half an hour, and the Berlin Heights Fire Department responded along with a private hazmat company from Cleveland.

All three eastbound lanes of the Turnpike were closed for about an hour, resulting in about a two-mile backup, Lander said. One lane reopened about 5:40 a.m.

Hazmat crews remained on the scene all morning, and one lane remained closed about noon. According to Lander, fire and hazmat crews said the spill didn’t pose an environmental risk because it was not near a waterway, but the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was notified as a courtesy.

Contact Rona Proudfoot at 329-7124 or rproudfoot@chroniclet.com.

Follow The Chronicle on Twitter at Twitter.com/YourChronicle and become a fan on Facebook to get updates on stories like this and more!

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.