Fruit-filled semitractor-trailer destroyed in fire on I-15 - St George News

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A semitractor-trailer burns on northbound Interstate 15 north of Cedar City, Utah, late Saturday night, May 1, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A semitractor-trailer caught fire on northbound Interstate 15 north of Cedar City late Saturday night.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Bambi Baie said the incident was first reported at 11:17 p.m., near Exit 62, after the semi’s trailer had blown a tire.

“The tire went flat and the driver couldn’t see it because it was underneath,” Baie told Cedar City News on Sunday. “Somebody told him that he was sparking, and then his tire caught on fire.”

After the driver had pulled over to the side of the roadway, he tried using a fire extinguisher on the flames, Baie said.

“It wouldn’t extinguish the fire. It was just too much and then it caught the trailer on fire,” she said. “He tried getting the tractor unhooked, but that didn’t work, and then the tractor went up in flames, too.”

Boxes of pineapples and cantaloupes are among the destroyed cargo in the aftermath of a semitractor-trailer fire on I-15 north of Cedar City, Utah, late Saturday night, May 1, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Fire Department, St. George News / Cedar City News

The trailer was filled with a load of pineapples and melons, Baie said.

Traffic on northbound I-15 was rerouted onto the Old Highway 91 frontage road for more than a half-hour while crews from Cedar City Fire Department worked to put out the burning truck and trailer, which ended up being completely destroyed.

“The wind was causing flames and smoke to be a traffic hazard,” Baie said, adding that although one lane was open again shortly after midnight, it wasn’t until shortly after 1:30 a.m. that both lanes of northbound I-15 were opened again to traffic.

No injuries were reported and no citations were issued, UHP said. 

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

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