ST. GEORGE — A semitractor’s trailer caught fire Sunday morning on Interstate 15 in Fillmore, destroying the trailer and temporarily closing the road in the area of the incident.
Firefighters responded to the single-vehicle fire just after 11 a.m. at milepost 164 on southbound I-15.
“The semi experienced an equipment failure in the trailer causing a fire on the rear axle,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Brady Zaugg told St. George News.
“The driver pulled over and attempted to use the fire extinguisher but was a little too late,” Zaugg said.
The driver disconnected the tractor from the trailer, and the trailer became fully engulfed in flames.
Southbound I-15 was closed for approximately 30 minutes while firefighters extinguished the blaze.
The fire burned a hole in the rear of the trailer, spilling its contents onto the freeway. As a result, one lane of the road remained closed in the area of the incident while emergency responders cleaned up the scene, causing delays for southbound motorists.
The fire was one of three major incidents that caused portions of southbound I-15 to be closed in Southern Utah Sunday — the others involved a rolled camp trailer in Washington County and a rolled semi in Iron County.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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