CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A crash on Interstate 64 early Thursday morning prompted several calls to the Cabell County 911 Center. Nazim Abbess, director of that center, said many callers were unsure of what they saw and heard.

“Many of the residents on East Pea Ridge thought a house had exploded or a car had exploded. We just got numerous explosion sounds,” Abbess said.

Several residents of nearby neighborhoods were awakened by the initial sound of the crash, but had no idea what was happening.

“I didn’t know if it was a bomb or a plane crash because it really shook the windows. I was laying there and I just kept hearing pops and pops,” Betty Burger said.

“I was thinking someone was trying to get into our privacy gate. We were sleeping with fans on, multiple ceiling fans, and it was extremely loud,” said Harold Martin.

Many left their homes to see what was happening outside, where smoke and flames filled the night sky.

“We got a good view of the interstate, and traffic was at a standstill or not at all. So we knew something happened on I-64 at that time,” Martin said.

“In all the years we’ve lived here, we’ve had a lot of wrecks there. But nothing like this. It’s something I won’t forget because it was very scary,” Burger said.

For related coverage >>> I-64 reopens after fiery semi crashes

Traffic nightmare after second crash on I-64; all lanes since reopened

Traffic problems following accidents on I-64 could affect bus routes

Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.