Video: Vehicle Fire Temporarily Shuts Down Veterans Memorial

Scene of a vehicle fire on Veterans Memorial Highway, May 22, 2024.

Darren Doyle, story, photos, and video:
A vehicle fire shut down travel on Veterans Memorial Highway (259/101) today for about a half hour as firefighters took care of the issue.

Emergency personnel were requested in the 4300 block of Veterans Memorial where a Dodge Ram pickup was on fire in the emergency lane.

The male driver, who was from out of town and spoke to the Edmonson Voice only on the condition of anonymity, said he thought he ran over some sort of mattress or mattress pad, which got stuck underneath the vehicle.

Scene of a vehicle fire on Veterans Memorial Highway, May 22, 2024.

Scene of a vehicle fire on Veterans Memorial Highway, May 22, 2024.

"I was behind a pickup truck, coming through town, and it looked like, I don't know if it was a mattress, it looked like a mattress or a blanket or something. It was a pretty decent size," the driver said. "I looked in the mirror, I seen it, it looked like it had come out, but I guess it got hung up in there."

He said there were no issues until he started up a hill and the truck started missing along with all the dash lights going out.

"When I pulled off the shoulder of the road, I didn't have any brakes. All the brakes went out. It's got the air ride suspension and everything just went..." and he pointed down at the ground. "I went to jerk the hood up, but you could feel the heat coming out from under the hood. It started underneath the hood."

That's when he called 911 and within moments the truck was engulfed in flames.

The man said he had just recently purchased the truck.

Scene of a vehicle fire on Veterans Memorial Highway, May 22, 2024.

Scene of a vehicle fire on Veterans Memorial Highway, May 22, 2024.

The Kyrock, Brownsville, and Chalybeate Fire Departments responded to the scene, along with Edmonson County Emergency Management, Brownsville Police, and the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office.

The scene was cleared with no injuries reported and the roadway was opened up shortly afterward.