TOWER CITY — The North Dakota Highway Patrol says a semi towing a propane tank ignited after losing a tire.
According to the NDHP, Mark Wendt, of Warner, S.D., was eastbound on I-94 a few miles west of Tower City in a 2018 Mack semi-truck towing a trailer loaded with 9,000 gallons of propane.
Wendt heard a loud bang and noticed shredded tire in his rear-view mirror. He slowed and stopped on the shoulder.
Seconds later, the blown tire ignited. Wendt retrieved a fire extinguisher but was unable to keep the fire out.
A McKenzie county deputy passing through attempted a second extinguisher. The fire reignited. A Barnes county deputy arrived and attempted to extinguish the fire, but it continued to reignite. A short time later, the Barnes county fire department arrived and put out the fire.
The driver was not injured. The truck suffered extensive damage to the rear tire area. The propane tank had mainly cosmetic damage at the front end.
No propane leaked or caught fire. The truck and trailer were towed from the scene.
The incident remains under investigation.
