A tractor-trailer carrying beer caught fire Monday night on Interstate 95 in northern Maine, about 30 miles from the Canadian border.
Maine State Police responded to a report of a vehicle fire at mile 277 south in Island Falls around 7 p.m. Monday. A tractor-trailer hauling beer had blown a tire, and as a result, a fire started in the rear of the trailer.
The driver of the truck, 23-year-old Sahil Pal, of Dieppe, New Brunswick, and his passenger pulled over and tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, without success. The fire quickly spread inside the trailer and became fully involved.
The driver was able to separate the tractor unit before the fire reached the front of the trailer.
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The highway was shut down for about two hours as firefighters from Island Falls and Oakfield battled the blaze. Drivers were being urged to use caution in the area on Tuesday, as crews were still removing debris from the road.
Police did not say whether any of the contents of the truck were able to be salvaged.
