Trailer hauling melons catches fire on interstate
Published 4:39 pm Tuesday, June 21, 2016
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Melon fire: A trailer hauling watermelons caught fire Tuesday morning on Interstate 65 northbound near the 222 mile marker. (Photo by Anthony Richards)
Violent wrecks and other carnage are all too common on Interstate 65, but motorists on Tuesday may have seen something for the first time: a trailer full of watermelons in flames.
A trailer hauling fruit caught fire Tuesday morning, forcing the driver of the vehicle to pull onto the shoulder, disconnect from the trailer and await firefighters.
Jemison Fire Department responded about 9:30 a.m. and extinguished the fire, Chief John Dennis said.
It appeared the trailer caught fire as it was traveling down the road, possibly due to a mechanical failure, Dennis said.
Dennis said firefighters had to move some of the watermelons off the trailer and onto the ground so that they could put out the fire underneath.
The vehicle pulling the trailer was traveling northbound and stopped near the 222 or 223 mile marker.
The left lane of the interstate was already closed due to maintenance, and the flaming watermelon trailer surely added to the delay as drivers slowed to catch a glimpse.
