Semi truck hauling electric vehicles catches fire, shuts down I-80 in Summit County

EMORY, Utah (KUTV) — Westbound I-80 was closed for several hours after a semi truck hauling three electric vehicles caught fire.

The fire happened Tuesday near Emory, a city in Summit County.

Utah Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Cameron Roden said the driver of the semi was able to exit the vehicle without injury.

Officials with Summit County Fire Department said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but they think it happened because of a malfunction on one of the semi’s tires.

Roden said all lanes were closed on WB I-80 while crews worked to remove the semi and cars from the road. He said crews took extra precaution to make sure the electric vehicles didn’t catch fire again.

As of Tuesday evening, all lanes appeared to be open.

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