A discarded cigarette that was still lit started a fire in the cargo area of a commercial truck on Interstate 75 on Friday night, authorities said.
The cigarette was discarded by an unknown motorist who threw it out of an unknown vehicle, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Steve Owens said in a report. It landed in the cargo area of a 2013 Ford F3D commercial truck owned by Classic Installs of Knoxville and driven by employee Ryan A. Johnson, the report said.
Johnson was driving south on I-75 near mile marker 121, just south of the Clinton exit, when he saw flames coming from the cargo area of his truck. He quickly pulled over to investigate and called for police and fire help at about 10 p.m. Friday.
The Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department put out the fire.
Owens said the vehicle was deemed safe to drive again, and Johnson drove it away. The amount of damage hadn’t been assessed at the time of the report.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Leave a Reply