Leader Staff
A semi was destroyed by fire on County Road R in the town of Washington on Monday afternoon.
A driver for Jim Piontek Trucking of Green Bay reported he heard a strange noise and pulled over shortly before 2 p.m. The semi cab immediately went up in flames, he told authorities.
The entire cab was engulfed when Cecil-Washington firefighters arrived. Both saddle tanks on the truck exploded and traffic had to be diverted because of smoke covering the road.
Authorities reported about 40 gallons of gas spewed out onto the road during the fire.
The Shawano County Highway Department responded to the scene to assess the extent of road damage.
The fire was under investigation.
The driver was not injured in the blaze.
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department said the truck was hauling bottled water.