3 hurt as crash, fire shuts down U.S. 54 in northeast El Paso

EL PASO, Texas -- An 18-wheeler caught fire forcing the complete shutdown of a portion of U.S. Route 54 in northeast El Paso on Tuesday afternoon and injuring three people.

The fire was reported following a collision between the semi-truck and a car around 2 p.m. at Gateway North Boulevard (U.S. 54) and Diana Drive.

El Paso police said all lanes were closed and detours were in place for motorists until further notice. As of 3 p.m., a fire official said he anticipated the closure would be in place until at least 5 p.m.

Authorities said three people were injured - none seriously. The truck driver suffered moderate burns, while two people in the car had minor injuries - all were transported to local hospitals for treatment.

It wasn't immediately known what triggered the collision and fire, but investigators were scouring the scene to try and determine what happened.

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