JACKSON TWP — A tractor-trailer crash and fire caused headaches this morning for commuters using Interstate 79 in southern Butler County.

State police closed both southbound lanes between the Portersville and Zelienople exits shortly after 5 a.m. when a rig hauling a load of paper products traveled onto the median and rolled over near Little Creek Road.

The truck's rear tires immediately caught fire.

"Those tires were flaming up and burning pretty good," said Chief Tim Sapienza of the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company.

One of the tires possibly blew out causing the crash, authorities said.

Firefighters got to the crash near the Jackson Township-Lancaster Township line and quickly snuffed out the fire.

The driver, whose name was not known this morning, did not appear to have any visible injuries; however, an ambulance took him to UPMC Passavant Cranberry to be checked, Sapienza said.

Southbound traffic on I-79 was detoured around the crash from Route 488 at the Portersville exit to Route 19 at the Zelienople exit.

The detour remained until shortly after 7 a.m., according to the Butler County Communication Center, when the right lane was reopened.

The crash and fire happened about an hour after a garbage truck caught fire on Route 19 in Cranberry Township.

That fire just after 3:50 a.m. closed both southbound lanes on Route 19 between Rochester Road and American Way for nearly 90 minutes.

Authorities did not immediately know what started the fire. No one was hurt.

It took Cranberry Township firefighters 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The truck had severe damage, said Chief Bill Spiegel of the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department.

Cranberry police investigated the fire, but a report was not available this morning.