Huge Wisconsin Truck Fire Caught on Tape

"It was a lot of smoke, a lot of fire, I didn't know if was going to blow."
Nov. 14, 2007
2 min read

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WALES - A TODAY'S TMJ4 exclusive: explosions, fire shooting into the air, a truck melting on the roadway.

But that's only part of the story. The driver of that truck made it out alive - with his dog.

Dramatic and dangerous: a first for truck driver Floyd Clark.

"I've been driving over 40 years and I've never had one catch on fire," Clark said.

Spectacular and scary. Sonia Wichmann captured it all on her camera.

"It was a lot of smoke, a lot of fire, I didn't know if was going to blow," Wichmann said.

Neither did firefighters as they watched the $80,000 truck melt in minutes.

Clark said he had just gotten off I-94 and was heading south on Highway 83 when the cab filled up with black smoke. He barely had time to get out with his dog Harley.

Clark says Harley didn't want to get out because the smoke was getting so bad.

"I had to grab that leash and get him out of there," Clark explained.

Five minutes later it was still burning. Clark suspects an electrical problem triggered the tragedy. His rig was a total loss, but Clark hasn't lost his sense of humor.

TODAY'S TMJ4's Charles Benson: "How do you feel when you are looking at it right there?"

"Well, it doesn't look the same," Clark said.

This could have been a lot worse. The burning truck was just feet from a gas station.

Republished with permission from Today'sTMJ4.com

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