Everyone is okay after a semi truck hauling radioactive materials caught fire in Utah on Thursday, raising health concerns with officials and emergency responders.
The incident happened at around 7:35 a.m. on June 12th in Tooele, Utah.
According to KUTV News, the semi truck was hauling contaminated soil from an Environmental Protection Agency cleanup site in Pennsylvania to the EnergySolutions Clive Disposal Facility in Grantsville, Utah along Interstate 80 westbound when it suddenly caught fire.
Luckily, the driver was able to escape without any injuries, but the big rig quickly became engulfed in flames, creating an inferno that forced the closure of I-80 between mileposts 88 and 89 as emergency responders worked to put out the fire and evaluate the fire’s threat to both environmental and public safety.
Truck transporting radioactive material, according to @UTHighwayPatrol. Driver safe. Scene secure. All lanes reopen. https://t.co/dyNKW8FqO5
— Morgan Saxton (@KUTVMorgan) July 12, 2018
Though it is still not clear why or how the fire started, it was found that the container housing the radioactive waste remained intact through the incident, erasing cause for concern about safety.
“Luckily, the radioactive material container held up in this instance,” said the executive director of HEAL Utah, an environmental advocate and watchdog group.
Firefighters battled the flames for several hours, but were eventually able to get it under control, clear the wreckage, and reopen the highway.