Truck carrying zebras, camels catches fire, closing I-69 in Grant County
MARION, Ind. (WISH) — A semi-truck carrying zebras, camels, and a pony caught fire Saturday morning, closing the northbound lanes of Interstate 69 in Grant County.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office shared video of the incident on social media.
The truck caught fire around 2 a.m. Saturday near the 264-mile marker outside of Marion.
An Indiana State Police trooper patrolling the area found a 2012 Volvi semi-truck engulfed in flames. When approaching the truck, the trooper learned that several animals from the Shrine Circus were still in the trailer.
The trooper, a Grant County deputy on scene, and a circus member rushed into the trailer and safely rescued a total of five zebras, four camels, and the pony. Other officers at the scene helped secure the animals until other Shrine Circus trucks arrived.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Steven Glass told News 8 that the fire was likely caused by an equipment failure.
The trooper and deputy who rescued the animals were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation but released shortly after. The driver of the truck, 57-year-old Armando Alvarez of Sarasota, Florida, was uninjured in the incident.
The northbound lanes of I-69 had been closed while crews worked to help the animals and put out the fire. State police say that the interstate was reopened around 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
