MORGAN COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 4, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Firefighters were able to prevent a tire fire on a semi-truck from spreading to its tanker load of 7,400 gallons of butane Thursday morning.
“Quick action by Mountain Green Fire District and Morgan County Fire & EMS firefighters averted a much more serious fire situation on Interstate 84 at 11:55 this morning,” the agencies said in press releases online Thursday evening.
Friction from a flat caused a tire fire to erupt on the wheels of the butane tanker, they said.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers arrived to shut down traffic in both directions in Weber Canyon. It was determined the relief valve on the tanker had not yet operated, “so the tank was not yet overpressurized” while four tires were burning intensely.
Quick application of a large dry chemical fire retardant by the fire crews held the fire in check while hose lines were deployed. The driver had also attempted to knock back the flames with his extinguisher just as units arrived.
“A hose line extinguished the stubborn fire, and a Thermal Imaging Camera was employed to ensure the water had cooled the fire and the tank sufficiently. A gas detector meter was employed to ensure no gas had escaped.”
South Weber and Weber fire departments assisted. A unified command was established when the UHP area duty supervisor reported to the fire command post. Fire units cleared the scene at 1:08 p.m. after a “hot wash” quick incident review after the road was opened.
