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Multi-vehicle crash and a truck fire mangle traffic on north-metro freeways

By Paul Walsh

April 25, 2012 at 4:03AM

The driver was able to escape before flames engulfed the cab of his truck Tuesday on northbound Interstate 35W before firefighters arrived and before all traffic lanes were closed. This view is from Cleveland Avenue just north of County Road B2. (Chris Havens — Special to the Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two north-metro interstate highways were snarled for hours Tuesday, one by a head-on crash and the other by a spectacular truck fire. The crash, in a construction zone along Interstate 35E just south of the Forest Lake split, happened shortly before 1:30 p.m. Three people suffered noncritical injuries, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. Just a few minutes after that accident was reported, a commercial truck caught fire on I-35W in Roseville, closing westbound Hwy. 36 and northbound I-35W, Roeske said. Also shut down was access to 35W from Cleveland Avenue. Both ramps were reopened by early evening. No injuries were reported. PAUL WALSH