(Lander, WY) – The Wyoming Department of Transportation issued reports of a Vehicle Fire on Sunday, July 18th, that resulted in all lanes being blocked near milepost 84 just outside of Lander for almost 5 hours.
According to Nick Johnson, Public Information Officer for the Lander Rural Fire Department (LRFD), a semi truck carrying a hay payload caught fire just outside of Lander.
While the exact cause of the fire is still unknown, the sole occupant was able to get out before the vehicle became engulfed in flames, and suffered no injuries.
Upon arrival, LRFD then requested assistance from Battalion #1 from Riverton and the Lander Fire Department, with 16 firefighters from the various departments on scene total.
Support was also received from Wyoming Highway Patrol, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lander Police Department.
No firefighters or responders suffered any injuries.
Johnson also wanted to give a huge shoutout Steve Hovendick, who volunteered the equipment that was used to get the burning hay off the semi. According to Johnson, if it weren’t for his actions, the 4.5 hours it took to contain the fire and clean the scene could have been almost double that time.
County 10 will provide more updates as they become available, which can be found here.