Semi Truck Carrying Buckets Of Caramel Caught Fire On I-94

RACINE COUNTY, WI — Buckets of sticky, gooey caramel had to be scraped off the Highway K off-ramp at I-94 early Thursday after a semi truck carrying buckets of the stuff caught fire late Wednesday, the Racine County Sheriff said.

Sheriff's officials said they were first alerted to the semi truck fire just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. When the first deputies arrived, they saw that the semi-trailer was fully engulfed in flames, which were in the process of creeping forward toward the cabin.

According to the Racine County Sheriff's Office, they learned the semi truck was laden with tubs of caramel for a local ice cream maker.

The off ramp and two lanes of the interstate were shut down for about an hour late Thursday as fire crews put out the sticky, sugary-smelling blaze.

Authorities said the severely-damaged semitrailer had to be braced before it could be removed from the ramp. The ramp remained closed as the Racine County Highway Department removed the fire debris and cleaned the sticky caramel off the ramp.

Investigators said the semi truck fire appeared to start in the rear axles of the semi-trailer due to a mechanical problem.