Burning Load of Almonds Snarls Traffic in Oregon
Source The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
March 27--If Interstate 5 was a little nutty today near Rice Hill -- well, blame the almonds.
A semi-truck carrying a load of almonds stopped near milepost 148 about 5:20 a.m. after a fire spread from its trailer axles into the pile of almonds, said Oregon State Police Sgt. Dave Randall.
The driver of the truck, 37-year-old Satinder Singh, of Vancouver, B.C., tried to douse the fire but couldn't, Randall said. OSP troopers arrived on scene to help, along with crews from the North Douglas County and Oakland fire departments.
But, Randall said, the burning almonds "proved difficult to extinguish," and the fire burned for several hours. Northbound traffic was reduced to one lane as firefighters kept an eye on the remains and waited for tow trucks to arrive.
No injuries were reported. Officials said they believe the fire started near the truck's brakes.
-- Kate Mather
Copyright 2012 - The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
