Explosive crash on I-70 in Columbus captured on camera

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A driver involved in a Monday crash that spawned a literal fireball on a major Columbus highway was able to walk away without being seriously hurt.

Emergency crews first responded around 1:15 a.m. to reports of a crash on Interstate 70 east at Interstate 270 near Hilliard-Rome Road, dispatchers told NBC4. An Ohio Department of Transportation highway camera caught video of an explosion from the moment the involved semi-truck struck a concrete barrier. In the aftermath of the crash, a massive fire burned and sent a column of smoke billowing into the air.

As authorities spent hours working the scene of the crash, they shut down I-70 east from Hilliard-Rome Road to I-270, including associated entrance ramps. Despite the intensity of the crash with open flames captured on a traffic camera, the Ohio Department of Transportation said the person in the semi survived the crash.

“Believe it or not, the driver climbs out of the cab and walks away," said ODOT spokesman Matt Bruning. "An absolute miracle that no one was seriously hurt.”

Medics took one person to a nearby hospital in stable condition after the crash. Authorities had not shared the cause of the crash as of Tuesday morning.