JASPER COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana State Police reported on Monday that its troopers responded to a vehicle fire on Interstate 65 in the southbound lanes at the 231 mile-marker.
This location is one mile north of the exit to Demotte/Roselawn (exit 230). ISP said a preliminary investigation shows that a 2021 Volvo, operated by Swift Transportation, was southbound on I-65 when the driver pulled over due to a mechanical problem with the vehicle.
According to the ISP report, when the vehicle stopped, the driver noticed the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and started on fire. The driver attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher from her cab; however, the fire had already spread to the vehicle. Authorities say the fire quickly spread to the trailer and consumed the cab and trailer. The cargo, paint cans, ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire. The driver of the semi was not injured.
The nature of the cargo prompted a hazmat response along with several agencies.
Authorities say that at one point, north and southbound lanes were all closed due to the smoke and dangerous situation and southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate at S.R. 2 (exit 240).
INDOT has contacted Reith-Riley to replace a large section of asphalt that had irreparable damage from the fire. That work was anticipated to be completed Tuesday morning.
The ISP posted video of the blaze on Facebook; click here to view the post.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
DEWISH is an ORGanization that presents a totally different reality to this and the many, many similar strange “fires”.