Four hospitalized after fiery I-25 crash near Avenida Cesar Chavez

Four people were taken to the hospital after a fiery crash on northbound Interstate 25 near the Avenida Cesar Chavez exit in Albuquerque, where a semi-truck and another vehicle caught fire and hay spilled across the freeway.

New Mexico State Police said the Tuesday evening wreck on June 30, 2026, involved a semi-truck and three other vehicles. Albuquerque Fire Rescue said the injured were rushed to the hospital with burns, and one person was critically hurt. KOB reported crews responded just before 5:30 p.m., and said the collision involved a commercial vehicle and a Jeep.

The crash shut down I-25 at Avenida Cesar Chavez in both directions, according to NMRoads, the state’s road advisory system. Drivers were told to avoid the area and use alternate routes as fire crews, police and medical responders worked a scene that had quickly turned from a traffic crash into a blaze with scattered debris.

The hay spill added an unusual cleanup problem for responders and a second layer of danger on a corridor already carrying heavy evening traffic. With flames, injured occupants and debris spread across the interstate, the crash tied up a major commuter route near one of Albuquerque’s busiest freeway connections and forced motorists to reroute through nearby streets and interchanges.

State police said the cause remained under investigation, and officials had not publicly identified what triggered the chain of events. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety says the State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit handles serious traffic crashes and reconstruction work, including cases that may involve felony charges.

For drivers and families who use this stretch of I-25 daily, the wreck was another reminder of how fast a routine trip can become an emergency when a commercial vehicle and passenger cars collide on a congested urban freeway. Albuquerque Fire Rescue keeps EMS and fire reports through its Records Management Office, which provides public-records request instructions while maintaining HIPAA and confidentiality requirements.