MARION COUNTY, Fla. -- Marion County Fire Rescue responded to a tractor trailer fire on Interstate 75 near mile marker 343 on Thursday, March 11. The fire forced two south bound lanes to shut down for more than four hours.
When firefighters from Marion Oaks Station 24 arrived on-scene at 3:52 p.m., they found a tractor trailer engulfed in heavy smoke and light flames in the rear hub of the trailer. Once crews called the fire under control, they began to unload boxes of lottery tickets in order to fully extinguish the flames. Worth more than $70 million, the tractor trailer driver contacted the company to transport the tickets to the appropriate facility.
MCFR firefighters believe the fire appears to have started when two back wheels rubbed together causing the tires to blow out and ignite the trailer.
