A man escaped injury when the cab of his semitrailer caught fire Tuesday afternoon in Griffith sending a plume of black smoke that could be seen from Dyer.
Griffith Police Detective Jim Sibley said the driver was heading to 801 E. Main St. to fix his truck around 12:40 p.m because the engine broke down. He coasted into the back lot of the property and had exited the truck when he saw smoke. There was no trailer attached to the rig.
Griffith firefighters arrived at the scene and quickly extinguished the fire. Fire Chief Roy Schoon said the blaze is “still under investigation.”
The driver, who declined to give his name, said he was “glad he wasn’t driving down the road” when it started to smoke.
“It caught fire and burned,” the man said. “It is what it is.”
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.