(CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo.) — An 18-wheeler tractor-trailer caught fire on Highway 50 near Maysville on Monarch Pass on Monday, June 16, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).
When emergency crews arrived at the scene around 8:30 p.m., the semi was fully engulfed in flames.
Courtesy: Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office
Courtesy: Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office
When CCSO deputies found the driver, identified as Charles Metoyer, age 45, from Houston, he explained that he had been driving down the pass toward New Mexico delivering eggs when he heard what sounded like one of his tires exploding.
Metoyer told deputies that he pulled to the side of the road and saw that the tractor-trailer was on fire. He tried to extinguish it, but the fire quickly spread to the cab, and he had to back off.
CCSO reported that fire crews quickly extinguished the flames before they could spread to the surrounding forest. A large amount of smoke was visible in the area, and the highway was closed for about three hours.
No one was injured by the fire, including the driver, Metoyer.
