Passing motorists report a “pretty decent smell” as truck hauling lemons burns on side of highway

A semi truck hauling lemons caught fire on Wednesday afternoon, causing traffic backups and an unusual fragrance. 

The accident happened on May 12th at around 3:30 p.m. in Golden, Colorado in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Colorado Mills Parkway. 

According to KKTV 11 News, the cause of the fire has still not been determined, but the flames did burn through the trailer, spilling lemons onto the highway. No one was hurt in the incident. 

Motorists struck in the traffic caused by the flaming truck say it took as long as two hours to get past the area.

I-70 EB is closed while firefighters extinguish the fire. Cleanup of the semi and cargo will be extended so expect delays. The driver is ok and the truck was hauling lemons. https://t.co/4jSfV0YTiB pic.twitter.com/likFBpJg9s

— Colorado State Patrol (@CSP_News) May 12, 2021

“It was awful,” said Randy Peterson, a motorist who was visiting a relative in the area at the time, to Cowboy State Daily.

“I was almost out of gas and really needed to go to the bathroom. But thankfully the traffic started moving just in time.”

Peterson also admits that he attempted to snag a burnt lemon as a souvenir while stuck in the extensive traffic, but that a trooper yelled at him to get back into his car. 

“In retrospect, that was a bad decision,” he said. “That trooper was not in a good mood.”

“Actually [burnt lemons] was a pretty decent smell,” he said. “I feel sorry for the driver but at least he wasn’t hauling cows or pigs.”