UPDATED 9:10 am: I-84 East has reopened. The truck has been towed and firefighters have cleared from the scene. 

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The driver of a truck appears to have escaped injury, but I-84 East just prior to Exit 10 was closed for nearly an hour this morning due to a fully engulfed truck fire. 

Hawleyville and Hook & Ladder fire companies were dispatched to I-84 East around 7:45 am, Thursday, July 18,  following a report of a vehicle fire between Exits 9 and 10. As they responded, they learned that the vehicle was approximately 650 yards west of the Exit 10 offramp, and state police had closed the roadway.

Firefighters used the Exit 10 East offramp to access the highway, and found a truck fully engulfed in flames. The truck reportedly had been transporting wood pallets. 

Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue was added to the call, responding with one a tanker. 

Smoke from the fire reportedly led to a few people contacting Newtown Emergency Communications Center (dispatch), reporting what that they thought was a second fire in the area. Hook & Ladder was dispatched for that, and found that it was smoke from the highway over Church Hill Road. 

84 East was at a standstill for miles, which then led to slowndowns on nearby secondary roads including Mt Pleasant and Church Hill roads. 

One lane of the interstate was opened around 8:45, alleviating some of the morning congestion. The truck was towed and the highway fully reopened approximately 10 minutes later.

While on the scene of the truck fire, Hawleyville firefighters, Newtown Ambulance and a paramedic were also dispatched to I-84 East between Exits 9 and 10 — the same area where traffic was standing still due to the earlier fire — for a possible medical emergency after one lane had reopened. Drivers reportedly saw what they thought was a woman slumped in a Toyota RAV4 on the side of the highway.

Those responding to that call could not locate the vehicle, nor the woman in question.