A semi-trailer that caught fire on Interstate 65 near Taylorsville caused lane closures and traffic delays for several hours.
The fire, reported at 8:43 a.m. at the 73.5 mile marker of I-65 southbound, according to the Bartholomew County 911 dispatch center, destroyed the driver’s cab. Firefighters, Indiana State Police troopers and Bartholomew County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident.
“Indications are that this was just a mechanical issue that caused the vehicle to catch fire while it was stationary on the shoulder of I-65 near the rest park,” said Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, spokesman for the Indiana State Police’s Versailles District.
The identity of the driver and additional details about the incident were not immediately available.
All southbound lanes closed initially, but the left southbound lane reopened at about 11 a.m. However, traffic remained slow through the early afternoon while crews worked to clean up the scene and remove the burned semi. It wasn’t until after 3 p.m. that all lanes opened for traffic.
Traffic was backed up to mile marker 76.
