Arkansas fire truck hit by 18-wheeler while responding to tractor-trailer fire, officials say

In less than 15 minutes, three tractor-trailers and a fire engine were embroiled in wrecks on Interstate 40 on Friday morning after one of the 18-wheelers caught on fire, officials said.

A tractor-trailer hauling lumber was heading west on I-40 near Dyer in Crawford County shortly before 5 a.m. when the vehicle caught on fire, Arkansas State Police spokeswoman Liz Chapman said.

Another 18-wheeler on the interstate swerved to avoid running into the enflamed vehicle and instead struck a median, she said.

A fire engine with the Mulberry Volunteer Fire Department was then called to the scene and started driving west on I-40, according to Chapman.

The fire truck slowed to get onto an emergency vehicle crossover near mile marker 15, about 7 miles away from the wreck, Chapman said. As the engine slowed down, it was sideswiped by a different tractor-trailer.

Three state police troopers responded to the crashes, which happened in a 13-minute span, she said.

None of the drivers or emergency personnel were injured, Chapman said, and the fire was extinguished.

The causes of the wrecks are under investigation.

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