Tractor-trailer carrying paper catches fire on I-79, closing southbound lanes
A tractor-trailer carrying rolls of paper caught fire on Interstate 79 in Worth Township late Monday night, Oct. 2, resulting in the closure of southbound lanes for several hours, according to officials.
The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m., and crews remained on scene at mile marker 101.6 until 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, extinguishing between 75 and 100 rolls of paper as they were removed from the trailer, according to Ryan Hanchosky, chief of the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Team.
Hanchosky said the fire was fully involved when he and his team arrived.
“This was a larger-scale incident, so we kind of had all hands on deck,” Hanchosky said.
He said the fire began around the rear brakes of the trailer, and the driver was able to disconnect the truck before it was damaged.
Hanchosky’s crew used three hoses to extinguish the flames, and the fire spread to the interstate’s hillside, he said.
“We got the fire extinguished pretty quickly … we had to pull every roll out and douse it down,” he said. “It was six hours of extensive overhaul.”
No one was injured, Hanchosky said.
Southbound lanes of I-79 between exits at Route 422 and Route 108 were closed and traffic was rerouted, Hanchosky said. PennDOT was requested to assist with the interstate shut down, and he said it took PennDOT two hours to arrive on scene.
Hanchosky said the interstate reopened around 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Portersville-Muddy Creek Township and Prospect-Franklin Township volunteer fire departments and the Slippery Rock department's ambulance also responded to the scene.
