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Tractor-trailer fire halts I-70 traffic
A tractor-trailer fire on Interstate 70 stopped traffic for nearly an hour Tuesday night.
At 7:19 p.m. emergency personnel were dispatched to the report of the fire in the eastbound lanes of I-70 near the 32-mile marker. There was no crash involved and no injuries reported.
Preliminary investigation revealed a white 2011 Volvo tractor pulling a box trailer loaded with frozen chicken was eastbound on I-70 when the driver, Ronald G. Weidenhammer, 52, of Leesport, Pa., noticed smoke within the driver's compartment.
Weidenhammer was able to steer the tractor-trailer to the emergency shoulder, but was unable to suppress the
growing fire.
The Landis Trucking Company unit was traveling from Missouri to Pennsylvania.
Members of the Reelsville and Cloverdale fire departments extinguished the fire around 8:30 p.m. The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for nearly one hour.
As of 9 p.m., the eastbound passing lane was open for traffic. A specific cause of the fire has not been determined. The vehicle and contents were considered a total loss.
Indiana State Police Officers 1st Sgt. Jeff Hearon and Trooper Derek Baker responded to the scene, as well as Reelsville and Cloverdale Fire departments.