MURRAY -- Instead of forcing northbound I-15 traffic off the freeway at 4500 South for the weekend, the Utah Highway Patrol will make traffic exit at the I-215 south interchange.
UHP made this decision on Saturday when a semitruck's engine caught fire. The truck was carrying 11,000 pounds of explosives, but one of the truck's drivers, Victor Bramble of Iowa, stopped the fire with his hands "just in time," said UHP Sgt. Bill Waters.At 11:30 a.m., traffic was jammed because crews were beginning the freeway's closure. The Crst Inc. truck was participating in a military transport of nitrocellulose, a material more explosive than gunpowder, Waters said.
When the truck's engine failed, the two drivers tried to restart the truck, but noticed an electrical fire under the engine.
They jumped out of the truck and could see the fire traveling to the explosives on a battery cable.
The truck was towed, and UHP troopers decided to clear the freeway at the I-215 interchange in Midvale.
Waters said troopers discovered that making traffic exit at I-215 is safer, so they will continue using this exit all weekend.