Multiple people have been killed after a semi-trailer truck caused a fiery crash on Interstate 70 west of Denver Thursday, police said. Police in Lakewood, Colo., could not confirm the number of fatalities late Thursday, but said six people were taken to local hospitals, including the driver of the truck. One firefighter sustained minor injuries while fighting the blaze from the crash, the West Metro Fire department said. The crash occurred during early evening rush hour on a busy stretch of interstate highway. “The semi was eastbound and ended up colliding with the cars that were stopped because of the accident ahead. That’s all we know or we are releasing at this point,” Lakewood police Agent Ty Countryman told reporters. Twelve cars and three semi trucks were involved, The Denver Post reported. Areal images captured by local television crews show the scale of the damage caused by the collision. Police are still working to identify those who have died and account for everyone involved in the crash, Countryman said. The highway remains closed both ways, police confirmed Friday morning. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Ciara Nugent at ciara.nugent@time.com.<doc-sep>LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)– There were multiple fatalities in the fiery crash at the Colorado Mills Parkway on I-70. Both the eastbound and westbound lanes were closed overnight and into Friday morning during the crash investigation and firefighting efforts. Our crash investigation on I-70 continues. We can now confirm multiple fatalities. 6 others taken to local hospitals. Highway remains closed and will be at least overnight. READ MORE: Vaccinated Veterans May Not Yet Be Entered To Win $1 Million Prize — Lakewood Police (@LakewoodPDCO) April 26, 2019 On Thursday evening, investigators said there were 12 vehicles and three semis involved in the crash and fire. It was unclear what started the fire but investigators are taking a close look at a semi that collided into traffic, which started the fire. Those killed in the fire and crash have not been identified. There were several people injured in the crash. One of those injured is a West Metro Firefighter. It is unclear the ages of those injured. Thick, black smoke rising from the crash could be seen for miles across the Denver metro area. Eastbound I-70 was closed from 6th Avenue to Highway 58 and westbound lanes are open with an on-off ramp detour at Denver West Parkway. I70 shutdown in both directions at Denver West due to multiple vehicle crash. Several vehicles on fire. Avoid area. Interstate expected to be closed for several hours. State Patrol assisting road closure for Lakewood PD. pic.twitter.com/dZ9u92X5S1 — CSP Public Affairs (@CSP_News) April 25, 2019 One person driving in the area captured on video a white semi speeding past slower traffic. What happened leading up to that semi crash is being investigated. Copter4 flew over the scene which showed several vehicles on fire, including a semi that was hauling lumber. That wood fueled the fire, along with a semi hauling mattresses. Denver West Parkway bridge over I-70 believed to have suffered heavy damage. Fire remains on scene as hotspots remain. — Lakewood Police (@LakewoodPDCO) April 26, 2019 Lakewood police say the Colorado Mills Parkway overpass suffered heavy damage from the heat of the fire. I-70 is expected to remain closed for several hours during the investigation and cleanup. Assisting Lakewood PD with major crash on I-70 at Denver West. Avoid the area. Media to United Artist Theaters at Denver West. S1 pic.twitter.com/geOv0sEGii — CSP Golden (@CSP_Golden) April 25, 2019 Several agencies responded to the fire, including West Metro Fire Rescue, the Colorado State Patrol and Lakewood police. Fire crews sprayed the burning vehicles with their hoses, which turned the black smoke into white smoke that continued to rise into the air. There were several vehicles burned beyond recognition mixed in the debris of the lumber that spilled from a semi. Because of the closure, drivers are urged to plan an alternate route since that portion of I-70 will remain closed into the Friday morning hours.<doc-sep>Multiple people were killed Thursday in a crash involving 12 cars and three semi-trailers on I-70 near Denver West Parkway, Colorado. According to Lakewood Police Department spokesman Ty Countryman, the crash was reported around 4:50 p.m. local time (6:50 p.m. EDT), after an eastbound speeding semi-trailer collided with slow moving traffic on the highway. After one of the vehicles involved in the crash burst into flames, the fire began to spread. "We have to try and figure out why this happened," Countryman said. "The semi coming into the slower traffic. There's got to be a reason. We'll investigate and find out." The police have not confirmed the exact number of fatalities, but they have stated that there were more than one. Six people, including the driver of one of the semi-trailers were transferred to a local hospital. There were no updates regarding their condition. A YouTuber, who goes by the name Burger Planet, was live streaming when he captured the moment a white semi-trailer sped past his vehicle, toward the crash site. After a few seconds, the video cut to an enormous plume of black smoke rising from where the crash happened. Aerial videos of the scene showed multiple semi-trucks and at least two SUVs on fire beneath a bridge and piles of lumber scattered along the highway. Countryman confirmed that there was significant damage to the structure of the bridge. “The bridge was not impacted from the collision; it’s all from the heat of the fire,” he said The highway was closed overnight as authorities worked to clear debris from the area. Although the fire had been put out, investigators were prevented from getting close to the crash due to the hot spots that were still being actively monitored by firefighters. "We still are just getting to the wreckage," Countryman said. One witness told NBC News no one was sure of what was going on immediately after the crash. "I was trying to get to the off ramp, and just all you hear is this big huge boom and then the big black smoke just kind of went off all over," the witness said. "And then you start hearing this popping noise, and things blowing up. It was just really scary. Nobody really knew what was going on." I-70 is a major east-west highway that passes through states like Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images<doc-sep>
Link: I-70 crash update from LPD and @ColoradoDOT. 28 total vehicles involved. Multiple fatalities. Driver of semi in custody facing suspicion of Vehicular Homicide. Highway not expected to open until tomorrow. https://t.co/pLfoctBqvA — Lakewood Police (@LakewoodPDCO) April 26, 2019 DENVER -- A semi driver is in custody, facing suspicion of vehicular homicide after multiple people died in a fiery crash on Interstate 70 in Denver Thursday afternoon.Initially Colorado officials said the crash involved 12 cars and three semis, but that number has since risen to a total of 28 vehicles.One semi was carrying wood, one was a gravel hauler and the third was possibly carrying mattresses.Police described the scene as "true carnage. "The crash investigation was just beginning Thursday night as fire and hotspots made it too dangerous for investigators to get into the scene, officials said. One firefighter sustained a minor injury from debris when something, possibly a tire, exploded, police said.Police said an out of control tractor trailer in the eastbound lanes careened into stopped traffic at the Denver West Colorado Mills Parkway overpass, KMGH reported.Traffic had been backed up due to a previous crash involving a jackknifed semi and a school bus about a mile ahead.Investigators said they are looking at a YouTube video that captured images of a semi speeding past stopped cars just seconds before the collision. They said they believe that was the semi carrying wood, and that the driver survived.The Colorado Department of Transportation closed both directions of the interstate and traffic is being diverted onto Colfax and 6th Avenue. Officials are concerned about heat damage to the pavement and a nearby overpass.Officials say I-70 is not expected to reopen until tomorrow at the earliest. Motorists are urged to avoid the area now and especially during the morning commute.Crews from multiple agencies are at the scene.Police said there have been multiple injuries.