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Tractor-Trailer Fire Closes Interstate 75

Southbound Interstate 75 was closed from Corbin to Williamsburg on Wednesday, February 11, 2009, following a tractor-trailer fire.

Ottis C. Donaldson, 62, of Warsaw, Indiana, was driving the tractor-trailer southbound on I-75 when his engine caught fire, according to a release from the Kentucky State Police.

Donaldson pulled his tractor-trailer to the shoulder of I-75 near the 17 mile marker and tried to extinguish the flames coming from the engine.  However, he was ultimately not successful in putting out the fire.  Donaldson was not injured in the incident.

According to the Kentucky State Police, Donaldson’s tractor-trailer was loaded with scrap aluminum, which also caught on fire.  The tractor-trailer and its load were a complete loss.

“It was one of the most burned cabs I’ve seen,” said Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses.

Moses said that both the southbound lanes were shut down at approximately 9:00 AM while the fire was being extinguished.  One of the southbound lanes was re-opened to traffic at about 2:00 PM.  By 5:00 PM, the scene had been cleared, said Moses.

During the closure on I-75, traffic was diverted to US 25W.

CVE officer Mike McQueen will be leading the investigation into the incident involving the tractor-trailer fire.

The Williamsburg Fire Department, Woodbine, Oak Grove, Three-Point and Emlyn Volunteer Fire Departments all responded to the scene.  The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Whitley County EMS, the Kentucky Fire Marshal’s Office and the ECO Tech clean-up team also responded to the scene.

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