- Five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse had to be rescued from a flaming truck on an Indiana highway Saturday morning
- The animals were in the process of being transported from Florida to Fort Wayne when a fire on board the vehicle caused the vehicle to burst into flames.
- Photos and videos taken at the scene show the animals being herded into pens along the stretch of road, while some nibble on grass
A truck transporting zebras and camels for a circus caught fire on a northeastern Indiana highway, prompting police to rescue the animals wandering along the highway.
The tractor-trailer caught fire along Interstate 69 in Grant County around 2 a.m., prompting police to rescue the five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office shared images of the animals munching grass on the side of the highway after being rescued from the inferno.
One video taken at the scene shows the zebras and camels being herded into pens on the side of the road, while another video shows the camels crossing the highway.
Indiana State Police Sergeant Steven Glass said a state trooper and a sheriff’s deputy were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation but were later released.
The tractor-trailer caught fire around 2 a.m. along Interstate 69 in Grant County, with police rescuing the five zebras, four camels and a miniature house.
Sheriff’s Office deputies posed with the exotic animals after rescuing them from the fire
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office shared images of the animals chewing grass on the side of the highway after being rescued from the inferno
None of the animals were injured during the fire, while the truck driver also escaped damage.
The fire closed all northbound lanes of I-69 until 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
The truck brought the animals from Florida to Fort Wayne for four weekend circus performances in the Indiana city, circus director Steve Trump said.
Trump said the truck crew stopped the vehicle along the highway to check on a problem with the vehicle and discovered a fire that quickly spread and threatened the animals in the trailer until they were rescued.
The fire destroyed the truck and a second truck was sent from Fort Wayne to pick up the animals from the highway and take them to Fort Wayne’s Memorial Coliseum where they could await their roles in the weekend’s family-friendly circus performances.
“I was very happy that it turned out the way it did,” Trump said.
Deputy Brent Ressett of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office said, “It’s not something we see every day.”
Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Brent Ressett said USA TODAY: “They just started grazing in the middle of the highway, which kept them busy, and that was a good thing.”
The truck brought the animals from Florida to Fort Wayne for four weekend circus performances in the Indiana city
None of the animals were injured during the fire, while the truck driver also escaped damage
Ressett continued, “And they were all docile, they obviously had a bridle on, so you know, it wasn’t like they couldn’t be moved. And the central reservation served as a corral because of the guardrail.’
He also told the newspaper that the incident could have been more dangerous because a second semi-truck drove by with tigers and lions on board.
“That might have been a little more interesting,” he added.
Police said they had not issued any citations and the preliminary investigation found that an equipment malfunction caused the truck to catch fire.