Chaos erupted early this morning as Chicago firefighters rushed to extinguish a fierce blaze that engulfed a semi-truck in a South Side railyard. The fire occurred in the Norfolk Southern railyard located at the 2600 block of West Columbus Avenue, as reported by ABC7 Chicago. Overhead shots from Chopper 7 showcased the severity of the situation, with flaming debris scattered around the inferno-stricken vehicle.

A Level 2 Hazmat situation was declared, prompting emergency crews to completely shut down train activities in the area. A post from CFDMedia confirmed that "All train activities are stopped in both directions at Columbus/Western." Despite the potential danger, officials have reported that there have been no injuries or need for evacuations.

The responding teams moved quickly to secure the hazmat threat, and the situation was contained swiftly. The official update via CFDMedia's post on X stated, "Level 2 Haz Mat has been secured by 2-1-21." They indicated that clean-up operations would begin shortly after the containment.

As a result of the fire, Columbus Avenue between 79th Street and Western Avenue was closed to traffic, throwing a wrench in the morning commute. Teams from the Chicago Fire Department worked to ensure the site was safe, with no reported injuries throughout the escalation. All companies have since been working to pick up and restore normalcy to the area.