Firefighters in Tennessee got a jump on Independence Day celebrations this week after a truck hauling a trailer full of fireworks caught fire on a major highway, turning a routine commute into an impromptu pyrotechnic display.
Video from the scene on Interstate 75 in the community of Ooltewah captured a spectacular cloud of sparks and rockets erupting from the trailer, with a stunned crowd watching from an overpass as if they'd stumbled into a very dangerous, unlicensed theme park.
The Tri-Community volunteer fire department issued a statement that read: “The trailer was full of fireworks, all of which became involved in the fire and exploded during the incident.” In a Facebook video, the department noted that the devices “were going off in different directions, endangering drivers,” but miraculously, no one was injured. Traffic was halted briefly before first responders got the situation under control.
Authorities remain unsure exactly where the truck was heading or what sparked the fire. The incident follows a proud tradition of unusual highway cargo mishaps: in March, 40,000lbs of extra-firm tofu was spilled near a small town in Missouri, and last year firefighters responded to a crash involving a truckload of ribeye steaks that burst into flames. America's highways, it seems, are never boring.