Lingering cow causes slowdowns after driver releases all 70 from burning tractor trailer 

Traffic was stopped for hours on the Florida Turnpike on Monday after an entire herd of cattle was let loose during a tractor trailer fire. 

The incident began on the morning of Monday, July 18th in Osceola County, Florida and continued into the afternoon as crews searched for the one remaining loose cow. 

According to Fox 35 Orlando, the 47-year-old unnamed trucker hauling cattle was driving along the Florida Turnpike when he noticed smoke and fire coming from his cab. The driver then pulled over to the shoulder and opened the livestock trailer, allowing the animals to escape the smoke and flames. 

The cab of the truck burned up in the incident, but the engine compartment and cattle trailer appear to have remained intact. 

The some 70 cows released in the incident held up traffic for hours as crews worked to round them up and transport them elsewhere. 

“Mounted responders are searching for any loose cattle that may have made their way into the woods,” officials from the Florida Turnpike account tweeted Monday. No further information has been released.