Alton, Iowa– A semi-trailer was damaged in a fire that closed Highway 60 for a while on Tuesday, October 9, 2018, near Alton.
According to Alton Fire Chief Quintin Van Es, about 9:50 a.m., the Alton Fire Department was called to the report of a semi-trailer with its driver’s side back tires on fire near mile marker 15 southbound on Highway 60, just south of Alton.
The chief says the fire department saw lots of smoke and flames from the back of the tanker trailer as they approached the scene. He says they used caution at first because they weren’t sure what the trailer had in it. But after they found the driver and he assured them that the tanker was empty, they were able to extinguish it in about five minutes with some water, and poured more water on it to make sure it was completely out.
Van Es says no injuries were reported, but they did have to close Highway 60 for 20 minutes.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to have been either hot brakes or something mechanical in nature.
Chief Van Es estimates that there was about $10,000 damage.
He says they used about 1,000 gallons of water to fight the fire, and the eight firefighters who responded were on the scene for about 40 minutes. He says the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol assisted on the scene, providing traffic control.
