WYANDOTTE COUNTY —One person experienced a medical emergency but escaped a semi truck fire in Wyandotte County.
Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, fire crews responded to a reported commercial vehicle fire near the southbound Interstate 435 off-ramp to Woodend Road, according to a media release from the Edwardsville Fire Department.
First responders encountered a semi-truck with a well-involved fire that had extended into the trailer. The driver was able to safely exit the vehicle, and no occupants were trapped.
The trailer contained approximately 15,000 pounds of household furniture and other materials. Due to the densely packed cargo, firefighters encountered significant heat and fire conditions within the trailer, requiring an extended operation to access and extinguish burning materials.
Additional personnel and apparatus were requested from the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department, Leavenworth County Fire District No. 2, and Fairmount Township Fire Department to support firefighting operations. Crews worked to contain the fire, establish a sustained water supply, and extinguish burning cargo within the trailer.
During the incident, the driver experienced a medical emergency and was transported to AdventHealth Lenexa City Center with non-life-threatening injuries. No firefighter injuries were reported.
The fire was declared extinguished shortly before 7:00 p.m., with crews remaining on scene for salvage, overhaul, and cleanup operations. The incident was terminated at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The Kansas Highway Patrol and Edwardsville Police Department assisted with traffic control and scene safety throughout the incident.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.