The driver of a dump truck was killed and the westbound portion of Pineda Causeway was closed for several hours Monday following a crash that sent smoke billowing over the Indian River.

The deadly incident happened about noon on the causeway between Merritt Island and the mainland.

The crash forced the temporary shutdown of the causeway — a primary east-west traffic corridor — near Tropical Trail on Merritt Island. All lanes are open for Tuesday morning commuters.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said the driver of the 1992 dump truck was traveling westbound on the Pineda Causeway when one of the vehicle's tires had a tread separation.

The unidentified driver then lost control of the vehicle, swerving into the guardrails before flipping on its side and catching fire, troopers reported.

The truck laid on its side and large pillars of black smoke from the flames were visible as firefighters arrived. Loud explosions could be heard as firefighters approached the truck.

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Some witnesses attempted to put out the fire and rescue the driver but were unsuccessful.

"He hit the guardrail and turned over. As soon as he turned over, the thing instantly turned into flames," said Mark Higgs.

The witnesses attempted to use their own fire extinguishers to douse the flames, with one person even climbing on top of the vehicle before the flames proved too strong, Higgs said.

Brevard County Fire Rescue, Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol all responded to the scene.

J.D. Gallop contributed to this report.