BRANCH COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — A police investigation closed down one lane of an interstate highway after part of a semi-trailer erupted in flames.
The semi-truck was traveling northbound on I-69 in Ovid Township when its rear trailer breaks caught fire and flames quickly spread to a trailer. The trailer was carryng an unspecified amount of nitric acid, a corrosive compound used for industrial purposes.
State Troopers from the Michigan State Police post in Marshall were dispatched around 4:30 A.M. on Friday, February 21st after recieving reports of a fire on the highway. Crews from the Lakeland Fire Department arrived around the same time to put out the fire, with northbound traffic on I-69 shut down until the fire was extinguished.
One lane of the freeway was opened again at 7:30 A.M., with state troopers investigating the wreckage until another lane was opened around 9:30.
A HAZMAT unit responded to the scene to cleanup any potential debris. Police have reported that no one was injured in the incident and it does not appear that any chemical were released during the fire.
