Semi loaded with some 40K pounds of onions destroyed by fire just south of Utah-Arizona border

ST. GEORGE — A portion of Interstate 15 a few miles south of the Utah-Arizona border was shut down Wednesday night after a fully loaded semitractor-trailer caught fire.

A semitractor-trailer loaded with onions is destroyed when the vehicle catches fire on southbound Interstate 15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border in Mohave County, Ariz., Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo courtesy of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, St. George News

Shortly before 9 p.m. MST Wednesday, firefighters were dispatched to southbound I-15 just south of the Utah-Arizona border near mile marker 27  on a report of a semi burning near the shoulder of the roadway in Mohave County.

With the incident reported so close to the state line, both Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue and the St. George Fire Department responded to the blaze. By the time St. George Fire crews arrived on the scene, personnel said the fully loaded semi was entirely engulfed in flames.

St. George Fire Deputy Chief Brad Esplin told St. George News that fire crews initiated an aggressive attack on the fire that had breached the trailer and was burning through the load. Multiple fire trucks were called out to provide a steady supply of water — which goes fast — considering a smaller hose line can handle hundreds of gallons per minute.

“Our engines can hold 750 gallons,” Esplin said. “And then we called out our reserve engines to shuttle water to the scene.”

Shortly after, Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire and Rescue arrived with multiple engines and a water tinder, which is specially designed to transport water to a fire. In this case, the tank was filled with nearly 4,000 gallons of water, in addition to the multiple water sources that were already at the scene — all of which were needed to contain the blaze and keep it from spreading to the brush and vegetation nearby, authorities said.

Battalion Chief Andre Ojeda with the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire Department told St. George News that thousands of gallons of water were needed since the flames had already spread throughout the trailer hauling produce that was fueled by the ample supply of plastic polymer and cardboard used in the packaging process.

“The semi was hauling a load of onions that were boxed and packaged in plastic — two materials that were in abundant supply and burn very quickly,” Ojeda said.

After nearly two hours, the active flames were extinguished, Esplin said, but the tightly-packed load continued to burn until a large backhoe arrived from Littlefield and crews were able to move and separate the smoldering material and soak it with water.

At the time of the incident, Ojeda said, the driver of the semi reported hearing a “pop,” and pulled off the shoulder to check the truck, which is when he noticed flames coming from underneath the tractor where it connects to the trailer. The driver reportedly grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the flames, but by then, the extinguisher did little to suppress the quickly spreading fire, so the driver then called 911.

“The driver wasn’t able to unhitch the trailer at that point,” Ojeda said, “Since the fire started somewhere in between the tractor and the trailer.”

Footage from the fire that includes clips provided courtesy of Beaver Dam-Littlefied Fire and Rescue and Kevin Johnson can be viewed at the top of this report.

Ojeda thanked the mutual aid provided by the St. George Fire Department, which he said made all of the difference Wednesday night in containing the fire that could have easily turned into a brush fire with so much vegetation just feet away. He also said he is grateful for the cooperation that exists between the departments.

“With the distances involved, it definitely helps to have crews from both departments responding,” Ojeda said.

The 35,000-pound semitractor-trailer along with its full load of onions, which authorities said had a combined weight of roughly 80,000 pounds, were destroyed in the fire. The recovery operation required multiple heavy wreckers to remove the burned wreckage and debris from the roadway. Both southbound lanes were reopened for travel shortly before 2 a.m.

St. George firefighters were released from the scene just after midnight, while the Beaver Dam crews remained on scene well into the morning. No injuries were reported.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety also assisted during the incident.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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