A dump truck fire on Highway 400 in Barrie snarled traffic, with thick black smoke visible for miles, on Thursday afternoon.
The vehicle was parked on the side of the highway in the northbound lanes, just south of the Essa Road off-ramp.
Barrie Fire and Emergency Service received the call at 2:55 p.m. on July 4 and were on scene at 3:02 p.m., according to Deputy Fire Chief Carrie Clark.
“There were two apparatus on scene with eight firefighters,” she told BarrieToday. “The cab of the dump truck was fully involved and consumed to the chassis on arrival.”
The driver was able to exit the truck and was not injured.
The box of the dump truck was full of asphalt, which required cooling down due to the exposure of the heat from the cab, Clark added.
The scene was left with provincial police and Ministry of Transportation after fire crews cleared the area at 3:45 p.m.
The origin and cause of the fire is undetermined.
