Car fire blocks I-75

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Laurel County volunteer firefighters responded to a Chevy Venture van fully engulfed in flames Monday near the weigh station on I-75.

June 28, 2012

Car fire blocks I-75

By Nita Johnson Staff Writer The Sentinel-Echo Thu Jun 28, 2012, 04:08 PM EDT

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Traffic was backed up from the southbound weigh station to Exit 38 as firefighters dealt with a car fire along Interstate 75 on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters with the Laurel County Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call of a car fire just past the weigh station on the Interstate around 2:40 p.m. Monday.

Lt. Trevor Allen with the Laurel County unit said when firefighters arrived on the scene, the Chevy Venture van was “fully involved” in flames.

“The vehicle was a total loss,” Allen said.

According to Allen, the owner of the vehicle, Ed Webb, was traveling south on I-75 and said he had experienced some mechanical problems with the vehicle. When smoke began rolling from under the hood, Webb pulled over into the emergency lane of the interstate, just south of the weigh station.

As the vehicle fire was extinguished, the smoke created a visibility problem for motorists, resulting in officials shutting down the Interstate. Traffic headed southbound quickly backed up, with the three lanes from the weigh station to Exit 38 and the two lanes from the weigh station to the car fire lined with cars.

“The smoke from the fire caused visibility problems, so we shut down the Interstate until it cleared up,” Allen said. “When it cleared, we opened up one lane. After we got the car loaded up and removed, we opened both lanes back up.”

Allen said firefighters were on the scene between 45 minutes to one hour. Assisting at the scene were officers with the Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.

njohnson@sentinel-echo.com

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