ST. GEORGE — The driver of a truck hauling construction waste was praised by firefighters for his maneuvers after his truck caught fire on Interstate 15 near the St. George Boulevard exit.
On Wednesday, dispatchers received a report of a vehicle fire on northbound I-15 near mile marker 8 at approximately 2:45 p.m.
St. George Fire Department Chief Robert Stoker told St. George News that the driver of a truck owned by Empire Waste Services was hauling a load of construction debris northbound on the freeway when he noticed smoke billowing behind the dump truck.
“He was aware enough to pull into an asphalt pull-off area and dump the load where we could keep one lane of traffic open, but also where it wasn’t going to start another fire,” he said. “Really good job by the driver to dump his load over by the jersey barrier.”
St. George firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the blazing pile of rubbish. The left lane was shut down for about two hours as crews with a loader and more trucks removed the now extinguished trash.
Stoker said no damage was reported to the truck hauling the waste and there were no damages to public property or nearby vegetation.
Utah Highway Patrol assisted firefighters on the scene. Stoker added the cause of the fire is unknown but could have been caused unintentionally.
“It could have been chemicals, it could have been something hot,” he said. “It is important that people are aware of what they dispose of and where at.”
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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