Editor’s note…this comes from the Nevada County Fire and Rescue Facebook page and contains their explanation of the fire on Sunday (7-12)…
The cause of the fire was determined to be a mattress that had fallen from the back of another vehicle and became lodged beneath the cab of the tractor trailer. Heat generated by the axles ignited the mattress, causing the fire to spread to the truck.
The tractor-trailer was hauling a load of plastic pellets. Fireworks were also located inside the cab; however, they were not determined to be the cause of the fire.
In one of the photos from the incident, the exposed mattress springs can be seen beneath the truck, providing evidence of the mattress that ignited.
Today at 1:49 PM, Nevada County Fire & Rescue was dispatched to an 18-wheeler fire on I-30 East at the 43-mile marker.
Upon arrival, crews found the tractor trailer fully engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading into the median. Our Rescue Brush Truck quickly knocked down the grass fire to prevent further spread while FairHills Fire Department responded to assist.
Crews from Fair Hills and Nevada County Fire & Rescue then began an aggressive attack on the truck fire and were able to bring it under control in a short amount of time.
Due to the amount of water needed, mutual aid was requested from the Prescott Fire Department and the Laneburg Fire Department tanker.
We appreciate the assistance from all responding agencies and the teamwork that helped bring this incident under control safely. no injuries reported
