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The explosion happened just after 8 p.m. in Hazel Park in Oakland County about 10 miles north of Detroit.
The tanker was on northbound I-75 when it attempted to avoid a car that lost control on a curve under the 9 Mile Road overpass.
The blast happened near the tail end of the evening rush.
Officials say a tanker truck carrying thousands of gallons of fuel was traveling on I-75 when it apparently collided with a truck and car.
The crash and resulting inferno collapsed the 9 Mile Road overpass as drivers watched in horror.
The fire burned for hours, but amazingly, no one was seriously injured.
Drivers on the normally busy overpass also escaped unhurt.
"Thank God nobody was on top," said Chief Ray Dewalt of the Hazel Park Fire Department. "Traffic must not have been that heavy going northbound."
The explosion in Detroit was similar to an explosion that happened in Flint more than six years ago.
A tanker flipped off westbound I-69 near the Dort Highway exit ramp. The truck landed on some railroad tracks and exploded.
When that tanker exploded it became a huge fireball. The flames wrapped themselves around both sides of I-69. The scene was unforgettable for the firefighters and witnesses who drove by.
The driver of the tanker was going west on I-69. He suffered a heart attack and crossed over several lanes before flipping over a guardrail.
His truck landed on railroad tracks and exploded.
Grand Blanc Fire Chief Jim Harmes is somewhat of an expert on these types of explosions. He compared the tanker explosion in Flint six years ago to Detroit's.
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