AURORA, Colo. — Commuters on Interstate 70 in Adams County saw major delays Friday morning after a fiery crash involving two semi-trucks shut down the roadway for hours.
Colorado State Patrol (CSP) said the crash was first reported around 8:20 a.m. Friday and involved two semi-trucks: a 2026 Peterbilt hauling a trailer and a 2020 Volvo hauling a trailer.
According to CSP, the driver of the Volvo rear-ended the Peterbilt's trailer and came to a stop on the median before catching fire. The trailer then tipped onto its side into the left lane of westbound I-70.
The fire spread into the grassy median and burned the plastic cargo that had spilled out of the trailer and onto the roadway, according to CSP.
Both semi-truck drivers escaped unharmed, CSP said. Firefighters contained the blaze in about an hour.
“Luckily, all of those other vehicles that were following these two semis were able to come to a stop," CSP Trooper Hunter Matthews told Denver7. "No one was injured from those vehicles."
All lanes of I-70 were closed in the area for several hours as crews cleaned up the scene. The roadway has since reopened.
CSP said the driver of the Volvo semi faces a charge of careless driving.
CDOT says WB 70 is now closed at East Colfax due to this semi crash/fire near Picadilly. pic.twitter.com/xdIzTGNgWV
— Jayson Luber (@Denver7Traffic) October 24, 2025
We’ve seen multiple similar wrecks on I-70 this year. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) told Denver7 it’s an ongoing problem.
This year alone, there have been 3,829 reported crashes involving heavy trucks statewide. Over a thousand of those were on interstates, CDOT said.
It’s why trucking schools like CDL 303 Trucking School are on a mission to educate not only drivers but also trucking companies and fleets that travel through Colorado.
“It takes a top-down safety program," said CDL 303 Trucking School co-owner Joe Trussell. "It starts at the top, and it goes down to the truckers."
According to CDOT, Denver County has the highest number of heavy truck-involved crashes with 570 to date in 2025, followed by Adams County with 478 crashes and Weld County with 357 crashes.
“If we can reach out to these [trucking] organizations and create a safety culture, then it’s going to save lives,” said Trussell.
Colorado lawmakers have passed several laws in an effort to curb truck crashes in recent years, but Trussell told Denver7 he believes enforcement will play a huge role moving forward in making the roads safer for everyone.
“If you’re not supporting the state police and local municipalities, then it’s really difficult to enforce all these laws we’re passing,” he said.
Denver7's Adria Iraheta contributed to this report.
