JASPER COUNTY, Mo. — About 1 p.m. Thursday reports of a tractor trailer fire on I-44 east near 23 mile marker alerted Jasper County E911.
Carthage Fire Dept, Sarcoxie Rural Fire, Mercy EMS, Jasper County Deputies responded. Missouri State Highway Patrol were notified.
Google Traffic Map screenshot during incident. Deep red represents stopped vehicles. The backup was five miles. August 18, 2022.
On scene MSgt B. Crockett tells us the driver noticed smoke in his rear view, pulled over and used up his extinguisher trying to extinguish flames.
The driver then unhooked the semi and quickly and pulled forward to safety. The trailer was then consumed by fire.
43,000 pounds of cheese burned. It was a total loss.
SEE OUR LIVE VIDEO FROM THE SCENE ON I-44 E, 23 MILE MARKER.
M&M Wrecker are removing the cheese and trailer.
The fire was so intense the concrete along the shoulder was damaged, MoDOT was notified to inspect for possible repairs.
The driving lane was closed during cleanup. Causing all traffic to merge. The backup was five miles (Exit 18 to 23 mile marker) and endured for four hours. The incident was cleared at 5:15 p.m. authorities updated.
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