Tuesday night blaze at Mile Marker 130, north of Rocky Top, backed up traffic for 10 miles

Before firefighters arrived (above) and after firefighters arrived (below).

CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN (WLAF) – A Tuesday night truck fire on I-75 in south Campbell County kept emergency personnel on the scene for the better part of seven hours and snarled traffic for much of that time. TDOT reported that at one time, traffic was backed up for 10 miles.

The last crew member cleared the scene just before 3:30 Wednesday morning, and both lanes of I-75 north were totally reopened. The two northbound lanes were closed for more than three hours as firefighters with the Caryville and Ridgewood Volunteer Fire Departments and Campbell County Rural Fire Service battled the blaze. One lane of travel was able to be opened around 11pm.

The driver of this 18-wheeler was uninjured in the fire that happened about a mile north of Rocky Top.

The fire began near the front of the big rig that was hauling bags of mulch. As they traveled north on I-75, a fellow trucker pulled up beside the truck that was on fire, got the driver on his CB radio and told him his rig was on fire. The driver of the 18-wheeler on fire could not see the fire from his cab.

Both drivers tried to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers, but to no avail. Firefighters used 10,000 gallons of water, much of it coming from the three CCRFS tankers. Due to the dryness, vegetation, especially kudzu caught fire on the side of the interstate, and that also required attention.

The driver of the big rig was not injured.

Campbell County EMA and EMS also responded. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is investigating the incident. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 07/10/2024-6AM-VERY TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF WLAF’S CLAYTON CARROLL AND CCRFS CAPTAIN DANIEL LAWSON)

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