Driver Escapes Unharmed When Semi-Tractor Trailer Catches Fire On Cicero Avenue

OAK LAWN, IL — A semi-tractor trailer caught fire Wednesday morning near 95th Street and Cicero Avenue, snarling traffic for about 45 minutes.The driver of the semi was able to escape unharmed.

Around 8:40 a.m., several callers to 911 reported hearing loud, explosion-type sounds. When the Oak Lawn firefighters rolled up on the scene, the semi’s cargo box was engulfed in flames in the northbound lane of Cicero Avenue, with a black plume of smoke billowing into the sky.

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Chief Mike McMillan, of the Oak Lawn Fire Department, said the blaze may have been caused by a mechanical issue.

“It appears to be a mechanical problem in the rear area of the brakes,” McMillan told Patch. “The tires caught fire, extending to the cargo box.”

The explosion type noises 911 callers reported may have been the truck’s rear tires popping. The cargo box was empty.

McMillan said the trailer did not catch fire and that the driver was able to get out of the cab. Oak Lawn firefighters extinguished the fire in 45 minutes.