NASH COUNTY, NC, SEPT. 13,2013 – Firefighters from the Red Oak and Battleboro fire departments were dispatched to a reported truck fire on southbound Interstate 95 at the 144-mile marker. While enroute, companies were updated that the call involved a working fire with a report of an explosion. Red Oak units reported they could see a large column of black smoke one mile away. The first units on scene reported they had heavy fire showing from a tractor-trailer. Firefighters used four 1¾-inch lines to fight the blaze. Water was supplied by tankers from both companies and controlled the fire in 45 minutes.
The truck driver said that he pulled to the side of the road and attempted to extinguish the fire, but was unsuccessful and called 911. He told firefighters that he was transporting a shipment of goods from New Jersey to Florida when he smelled smoke and saw flames from his vehicle. The cab of the truck was destroyed and part of the trailer and contents were burned. The North Carolina Highway Patrol shut down both southbound lanes for about an hour and one lane was closed for about two hours while crews operated at the scene. Twenty firefighters and Nash County EMS responded. No one was injured.
—Bob Bartosz
