UPS Truck Ignites in Jasper on Highway 231

On Monday night, a UPS truck pulling two trailers caught fire on Highway 231. The driver called for assistance at about 8:30 pm after seeing smoke. The road was shut down for hours as responding units from multiple local emergency services worked to control the blaze. The Jasper Fire Department arrived with 2,000 gallons of water, and multiple other tankers of water were called to the scene. Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang said that the JFD had assistance from Huntingburg, Indiana State Police, and local wrecker companies.

The UPS-owned vehicle runs on compressed gas, which continued to fuel the fire for several hours. Late in the evening, the remaining parts of the vehicle, which were still engulfed in flames, were towed to a different location where they were finally extinguished. The semi- tractor and the first trailer were completely destroyed, while the second trailer suffered heat and smoke damage.

The fire burned continuously from 8:30 pm Monday night until it was extinguished around 1 am Tuesday morning. The only remaining parts of the vehicle were the engine, the steel frame, and radiator fragments.

Chief Hochgesang cautioned, “Whenever you have a vehicle fire like that, in this case the driver was able to quickly exit the vehicle after he came to a stop and saw the smoke coming out. But any time you’re in an environment like that, the smoke from burning inside there, there could be some plastics and foams and things like that in the vehicles – in the dashes and the seats and so forth. You want to get away from that and not breathe that smoke. It is toxic and you want to avoid that at all costs. You want to stay away from that.”

There were no injuries reported and the total estimated loss is unknown. Guard rails at the location melted, and the roadway also sustained damage. The state will return to make necessary repairs at a later date.

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By Drew Hasselbring