Fiery 150-car pileup in Michigan kills 1, shuts down I-94

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Jan. 9 (UPI) -- At least one person died and a truckload of fireworks exploded Friday in a chain-reaction crash that shut down Interstate 94 in western Michigan. The pileup involved as many as 150 vehicles.

The accident occurred about 10 a.m. on I-94 between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, police said.

"There is at least one fatality, and we have two vehicles that are on fire, including a semi," said Lt. Rick Pazder of the Michigan State Police. "There are vehicles in the median, and the freeway is closed in both directions."

Pazder said the crash occurred as snow fell on the icy roadway with visibility down to about one-quarter of a mile. The temperature in the area was 8 degrees.

Erica Frederick of Kalamazoo, who witnessed the crash, told the Detroit News a truck was carrying fireworks "which are now burning and launching at the scene."

State police said local HAZMAT officials are "monitoring the situation."

At least two other trucks and four cars caught fire, police said.

The number of injured was unclear. A spokesman for Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo said at least six people had been admitted there, including one listed in serious condition.

I-94 runs from the Bluewater Bridge to Ontario at Port Huron, Mich., to Billings, Mont.