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
Homepage
Related Photos
-
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
- Local News
-
The driver of a Ford Explorer lost control of his vehicle Sunday on Ky. 472, ran off the road and overturned into a culvert. The impact caused the vehicle to erupt into flames.
- Local Sports
-
Zach Allen slides safely into third as the ball gets away from Hazard’s Evan Whitaker. South Laurel downed the Bulldogs, 9-5, Wednesday evening in a battle of Top 25 teams. The Cards will be on the road at Somerset tonight.
- Opinion
- Features
- Galleries
-
-
SLIDESHOW: Veterans Day 2012 in Laurel County
From school programs to community luncheons, Laurel County supports its veterans. See pictures of this year's Veterans Day celebrations.
- SLIDESHOW: 2012 Laurel County Halloween Happenings
- SLIDESHOW: Photos of the 2012 Camp Wildcat Civil War Re-enactment
- SLIDESHOW: Sandy delivers snow to East
- SLIDESHOW: Kentucky town prepares for vice presidential debate
-
- Crime
- Community Events
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
Raw: School Bus Crash Injures Five Children
Quick Response Saved Baby on Phila. Train Tracks
One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh
