Box truck fire closes I-89 temporarily

May 14, 2026  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

On Thursday, May 7, Interstate 89 southbound, a short distance north of Waterbury, was closed for over an hour when a commercial box truck caught on fire.

The incident happened just after 10 a.m. At approximately 10:23 a.m. Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Inspectors arrived. Vermont State Police, Waterbury Fire Department and Waterbury Ambulance Service also responded. 

Officials determined that the box truck was initially traveling northbound when the driver lost control. The truck traveled across the interstate median into the southbound lanes, crashing into guardrails, according to the DMV. 

The vehicle caught fire, and two witnesses pulled the operator to safety, the report notes.

The driver, 72-year-old Edward Lepage of Barre City, was transported to UVM Medical Center with serious injuries. 

The truck involved was a 2024 Freightliner M2 owned by Capital Candy Company Inc. of Barre City. It was empty at the time of the crash and sustained disabling damage as a result of this incident, according to the accident report. 

Traffic on I-89 southbound was at a standstill for about an hour as the roadway was impassable due to the fiery incident and the response. By about 11:30 a.m., first responders were able to reopen one lane for motorists to travel through the site. Once the crash site was cleared, VTrans needed to make some repairs to the road. The highway was fully opened for normal traffic by about 2:30 p.m.