I-77 backup near Belden Village caused by burning trash in truck
The Canton Repository
JACKSON TWP - A trash truck caught fire on Interstate 77, slowing traffic in the southbound lanes for more than an hour Monday.
Truck Driver Carey Meff was hauling trash for R &J Trucking when he saw flames shooting out of the back of the semi he was driving at about 4 p.m.
"It's my first day on the job," Meff said. "I'm not happy at all. I looked in my mirror and all I saw was fire."
He was able to pull off to the side of the highway near the Belden Village exit. Meff was hauling trash from the Harvard Road Transfer Station in Newburgh Heights to Countywide's site in Pike Township.
"There were flames shooting out of the top 10 feet," Ohio State Highway Trooper Aaron Berry said of the scene when he arrived.
Although Meff had pulled over to the side of the road, a southbound lane had to be closed and traffic began to back up significantly on I-77. "It's probably backed all the way up near the airport," Berry said.
The Jackson and Plain township fire departments both responded to the scene where the fire continued to smolder in the hauler. The fire crews remained on the scene for more than an hour.
After the fire was out, the truck was retarped and sent on its way.
JACKSON TWP - A trash truck caught fire on Interstate 77, slowing traffic in the southbound lanes for more than an hour Monday.
Truck Driver Carey Meff was hauling trash for R &J Trucking when he saw flames shooting out of the back of the semi he was driving at about 4 p.m.
"It's my first day on the job," Meff said. "I'm not happy at all. I looked in my mirror and all I saw was fire."
He was able to pull off to the side of the highway near the Belden Village exit. Meff was hauling trash from the Harvard Road Transfer Station in Newburgh Heights to Countywide's site in Pike Township.
"There were flames shooting out of the top 10 feet," Ohio State Highway Trooper Aaron Berry said of the scene when he arrived.
Although Meff had pulled over to the side of the road, a southbound lane had to be closed and traffic began to back up significantly on I-77. "It's probably backed all the way up near the airport," Berry said.
The Jackson and Plain township fire departments both responded to the scene where the fire continued to smolder in the hauler. The fire crews remained on the scene for more than an hour.
After the fire was out, the truck was retarped and sent on its way.
