A one vehicle accident occurred on Southbound I-35 at the 36.6 mile marker on Thursday, January 27 2012. A commercial truck pulling a large trailer mounted generator left the roadway and overturned. The generator became detached from the pulling vehicle, continued down the median, and caught fire after coming to rest on it’s side. The generator included a 400 gallon fuel tank with approximately 250 gallons of fuel on board. The fire quickly consumed the generator, and spread to engulf a portion of the highway median. A small amount of diesel fuel spilled from the generator after the fire was extinguished. A remediation team was dispatched from the private company who own’s the vehicle to clean up the spill. No significant environmental impact is expected. The driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries. The vehicle pulling the trailer and the trailer are both total losses.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Dept, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Lathrop Fire Protection District, Holt Fire Protection District, Clinton County Emergency Management, Tri-County Ambulance, MODOT, and Sam’s Tow of Lathrop responded to the accident.
High winds contributed to spread of the fire after the accident. An investigation into the cause of the accident is being conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.