Ambulance fire backs up traffic on westbound Interstate 70 in Callaway County
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Tuesday that a vehicle fire has caused a lane of westbound Interstate 70 to close.
The patrol said in a social media post a little after 3 p.m. that the fire started at the 139.4-mile marker and spread into the media, forcing firefighters to close the passing lane.
The scene cleared at about 3:50 p.m., according to first responders at the site.
The fire involved an ambulance but no one was hurt, the patrol said.
Troopers are on scene of a vehicle fire on westbound I-70, at the 139.4 mile marker, in Callaway County.
— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) August 22, 2023
The fire spread to the grass median, forcing the left lane to be closed as firefighters work to contain it. Traffic is currently backed up approximately two miles. pic.twitter.com/j2HAg8mj2X
Traffic was backed up for about two miles.
The ambulance caught fire a second time at the I-70 tow truck company about 30 minutes after the ambulance was towed away from the scene.
Columbia Fire Department Capt. Edward Kehrer said they were able to put out the remaining smoldering areas.
This was a little different there is a lot of stuff in the back of an ambulance and it's all packed down, It's just hard to get all that," Kehrer said.
As dangerous conditions continue to hit Columbia, an added level of care is needed to make sure firefighters are safe, as well.
So at the start of the day, we try to keep everyone hydrated," Kehrer said. "Once the high hazard type of stuff is done we try to get people out of the gear slowly so we can just strip off the area, get the body some cool air, and then just keep everyone safe at the same time."
