Vehicle Fire Closes I-84 in Hudson Valley, New York

An accident that ended with a car completely engulfed in flames shut down I-84 in Dutchess County.

Anyone who's spent time commuting on I-84 knows just how dangerous it can be. It seems like every day there's another story of an accident that has taken a life or seriously injured a driver on the interstate.

Because I-84 is such a heavily traveled roadway, when crashes occur the traffic can back up for miles. On Saturday, an accident that required the assistance of EMS and firefighters shut down an entire stretch of the highway. The closure resulted in major backups as drivers turned to their GPS to find alternate ways through the area.

Major Accident Closes I-84 in Dutchess County

An accident involving at least two vehicles shut down the westbound lane in Brewster, just a half-mile before Exit 68. According to photos shared by the Brewster Fire Department, a black Nissan Altima was completely engulfed in flames after being involved in the crash. A white utility van also appears to have sustained serious damage.

It's unclear what caused the vehicle to burst into flames, but Nissan did recall almost 24,000 of its 2019 Altima sedans due to an improperly installed hose "that could lead to a fuel leak, raising the risk of a fire". It's unclear if the Nissan involved in the accident in Brewster was a 2019 model.

According to the Brewster Fire Department, the westbound side of the interstate was shut down for "a short time" while firefighters extinguished the fire. Once the accident was cleared the road was reopened.