I-35 southbound reopens after fiery crash near Faribault

Semi bursts into flames after I-35 crash

A semi burst into flames in southern Minnesota on July 12, 2023, leaving two people hurt.

FAIRBAULT, Minn. (FOX 9) - Southbound lanes along I-35 near Faribault, Minnesota are back open after a fiery crash Wednesday afternoon involving two semi-trucks.

The crash left both drivers, a 75-year-old Kansas man and a 79-year-old South Dakota man, injured near Milepost 62, just north of the Faribault city limits and near the city's new water tower.

A medical helicopter landed at the scene. Traffic camera footage captured people at the scene struggling to open one of the trucks as heavy smoke pours out, before they eventually pull a man to safety, laying him by the side of the road.

The cabin of one of the trucks seems to be engulfed in flames, with a heavy cloud of black smoke rising over the highway.

I-35 South was closed for hours, closing around noon until reopening at just about 7 p.m.