Brush fire sparked by flaming semi truck adds to 1,000+ Utah fires this season

A flaming semi truck started a small brush fire in Utah on Thursday. 

The incident happened in Washington County at around 5:45 p.m. near Toquerville. 

According to ABC 4 News, the semi truck caught fire parked on the shoulder of Interstate 15, which ignited the nearby grass and broke apart the trailer, spilling a load of meat across the roadway. Luckily, firefighters were able to contain the brush fire to only 5 acres. 

No injuries were reported but the roadway was closed for cleanup until approximately 11 p.m. that evening. 

Officials say that the state of Utah has seen more than 1,000 fires already this season, most of them human-caused. 

“Our human-caused fires are almost triple what they normally are. Those causes range from blown tires, dragging chains, exhaust issues to unaccounted campfires,” acting area fire management officer for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands Ryan Riddle said. “We’re pleading with the public to please help us out.”