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Friday, Oct. 03, 2008

Chicken truck fire stalls I-75 traffic

Staff reports

Two southbound lanes of Interstate 75 near the Houston-Peach county line were blocked for hours Thursday after a tractor-trailer hauling chickens caught fire around 3 a.m., according to the Georgia State Patrol in Perry.

Grease from the burned chickens created a hazard on the road that took extensive work to clear, authorities said.

Sgt. James Adams of the Houston County 911 center said the southbound lanes were blocked near mile marker 140 just south of Ga. 96 but traffic continued to move using the emergency lane.

Not only did work crews have to clear the burned-out truck, but the Georgia Department of Transportation had to clear the road of hazards caused by melted chicken fat and other debris left on the pavement following the fire.

An operator at the state patrol post in Perry said they were investigating the cause of the accident, which might have started when the truck was side-swiped.

There were no injuries reported, authorities said