Semi fire closes interstate

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February 12, 2009

Anonymous The Times-Tribune Thu Feb 12, 2009, 08:38 AM EST

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

A tractor-trailer fire closed a portion of southbound Interstate 75 stretching from Corbin to Williamsburg much of Wednesday.

According to a release from the Kentucky State Police the tractor-trailer was being driven southbound by Ottis C. Donaldson, 62, of Warsaw, Ind. when his engine caught fire.

Donaldson pulled to the side of I-75 near the 17 mile marker, and attempted to put out the fire — but was ultimately unsuccessful. Donaldson was not injured in the incident.

According to the release from the KSP, Donaldson’s tractor-trailer was hauling scrap aluminum, which also caught fire. Both the tractor-trailer and its load were a complete loss.

“It was one of the most burned cabs I’ve seen,” Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses said.

Moses said both southbound lanes were closed around 9 a.m. while the fire was being put out. At around 2 p.m., one of the southbound lanes was opened to traffic, and by 5 p.m. the scene had been cleared, Moses said.

While the interstate was closed, traffic was re-routed down US 25W.

CVE officer Mike McQueen is leading the investigation into the incident.

The Williamsburg Fire Department, Woodbine, Oak Grove, Three-Point, and Emlyn Volunteer Fire Departments all responded to the scene.

The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Whitley County EMS, the State’s Fire Marshal’s Office, and the ECO Tech clean-up team also responded to the scene.

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