Sheldon, Iowa — A semi box trailer was destroyed in a fire Monday evening near Sheldon.
According to Sheldon Fire Chief Brad Hindt, the page went out about 5:10 p.m. of a semi-trailer on fire near mile marker 39 on Highway 60. That’s about five miles north of the Sheldon Highway 18 exit, near the Osceola County line.
When they got there, Hindt says they found heavy black smoke, the trailer wheels on fire, and the cargo area of the trailer totally engulfed. Firefighters attacked the fire with two hand lines.
Highway 60 was rerouted during the firefighting operations. The fire was under control in 10 minutes.
Hindt says the truck driver had been able to unhook the semi-truck quickly, and it was not damaged.
The trailer and contents were destroyed. The cause of the fire appears to be a brake issue on the trailer, according to Hindt.
He says the Ashton Fire Department was also paged due to the location of the fire being just a half mile south of the county line, and due to the fact that multiple reports of the fire were called in.
Firefighters were there for just short of two hours.
The Ashton Fire Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sheldon Police Department assisted the Sheldon Fire Company at the scene.
Photo courtesy Brad Hindt, Sheldon Fire Chief
