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18-Wheeler Hauling Vegetables Catches Fire On I-635

BALCH SPRINGS (CBSDFW.COM) - A big rig caught fire while traveling north on Interstate-635 in Balch Springs.

Police tell CBS 11 News the brakes on the 18-wheeler overheated and a passing driver actually alerted the trucker just before 4:30 a.m. By the time the driver got the semi to the side of the road the entire front end was on fire.

635 big rig fire 2
(credit: CBSDFW.COM)

The fire soon engulfed the entire rig. The truck was carrying a full load of lettuce, cabbage and mixed greens.

After the fire was extinguished Balch Springs police had a little fun on Twitter posting about the traffic delays and encouraging, "Lettuce not have a bad day. It's Taco Tuesday."

A front-end loader was brought in to pull all the boxes of vegetables out of the trailer. The well done veggies will be moved onto other trucks and disposed of.

Traffic in the area was tied up for hours as the mess was cleared.

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