By NATE KING
Salina Post
A semi-truck driver walked away without injury after a crash and fire along I-70 west of Salina on Thursday evening.
According to Rural Fire District #3 Chief Scott Abker, emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 7 p.m. to milepost 247, where a semi-truck had left the interstate and caught fire.
Abker said the driver managed to retrieve his luggage from the vehicle before it was engulfed in flames. He was reportedly speaking with law enforcement on scene and showed no signs of injury.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Abker said the crash was severe enough that the semi's fuel tanks may have ruptured, and heat sources such as the engine or friction from the wreck likely ignited the blaze.
Firefighters stayed on scene until the fire was contained around 10:30 p.m. Chief Abker remained on site until midnight, monitoring and extinguishing hotspots in a nearby pasture.
“Given the wind conditions and proximity to homes north of the site, we didn’t want to leave until we were confident there was no risk of reignition,” Abker said.
In addition to RFD #3, firefighters from RFD #7 also responded to the scene.
The Kansas Highway Patrol is handling the investigation into the cause of the crash.
Salina Post will update this story as new information becomes available.