COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Michigan State Police say a semi-tractor trailer cab caught on fire and then exploded late Monday afternoon on I-69 in Branch County’s Coldwater Township, leaving the truck driver with serious burn injuries.
The incident south of Coldwater near Dorrance Road around 10 miles north of the Indiana border was reported around 5:15 p.m.,and the expressway was closed for more than two hours, with one lane northbound and both lanes southbound shutdown till nearly 7:30 p.m.
According to Michigan State Police, the semi-driver, a 50-year old man from Ft. Wayne, Indiana whose name was not released, called 911 to report his cab was on fire. Troopers said about five minutes later, witnesses reported an explosion and saw the truck driver rolling in flames on the ground.
State Police say the driver was transported by Life Care Ambulance to Lutheran Hospital in Ft. Wayne and then transferred to an Indianapolis hospital burn center for further treatment. There’s no word on his condition.
The incident remains under investigation.
The Coldwater Fire Department, which was also at the scene for two hours, had the cab fire out at 5:38 p.m., according to State Police.
