A truckload of frozen pork didn't stay that way for long when the semi-truck carrying it caught fire on Interstate 8 and caused a small explosion.
A driver called 911 to report a big rig's brakes were on fire as it headed west on the freeway at about 7:40 p.m.
"Nervous, shaking," driver Samuel Williams said about his reaction. "I couldn't think. I was just like — you know, my mind was going a hundred miles a minute. I didn't know what to do."
Thankfully, Williams was able to pull over at Lake Jennings Park Road and jump from the truck before the fire spread through the cab, sending flames shooting about 20 feet in the air. It soon ignited the embankment and fired up about a quarter acre of land on the roadside.
As firefighters got to the scene, they saw a small explosion coming from the truck.
Williams was bracing for a bigger burst, which did not come.
"I'm still kind of shaken a little bit, and I'm thinking, where I go from here," said Williams. "But besides all that, I'm fine."
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Extra crews were called in to help fight the flames. A tow truck crew drained all the fuel from the truck, making sure there are no hot spots before they move it.
Williams, who was taking the meat from Oklahoma to San Diego, said he had his brakes fixed on Tuesday in Arizona. He is convinced the person who installed them failed to clean off the grease, which he thinks started the fire.
The driver has not been cited for the incident. His truck and everything in it are a complete loss.
