COLUMBIA — A semitrailer caught fire Monday afternoon on Interstate 70 at the Missouri River bridge. The Boone County Fire Protection District received the call at 4:16 p.m. When firefighters arrived, the truck was completely engulfed in flames on an exit ramp off the interstate, Division Chief Gale Blomenkamp said. The cause was not clear, but investigators said they think the fire originated in the engine compartment.
The driver escaped without injury.
The cab of the truck is totalled, and the trailer and its cargo might not have survived smoke and water damage, Blomenkamp said. Firefighters cut an access hole into the front of the trailer, which was carrying children’s clothing from Kansas City, to put out the fire.
Smoke from the fire was visible from Stadium Boulevard and I-70, Blomenkamp said.