SALT LAKE CITY — A semitrailer caught fire at the mouth of Parleys Canyon Monday morning, causing significant delays along Interstate 80 well into the afternoon.
Officials with the Utah Highway Patrol said a semi-truck's brakes caught on fire just before the Foothill Drive exit on westbound I-80. The Utah Department of Transportation first reported the fire at 11:17 a.m.
All westbound lanes were closed after the fire. They remained closed for hours as a crew worked to clean up the scene and remove the truck.
It was reopened around 4:30 p.m., but UDOT warned westbound drivers to still expect delays of 2-3 hours.
Shortly after it reopened, another truck-related issue caused more traffic backup as a semi stalled in the center lane several miles east of the original scene.
By mid-evening, traffic flow was back to normal.
At one point during the original closure, traffic was backed up more than 10 miles from the scene — as far back as Parleys Summit.
Because of the closure, many drivers took Emigration Canyon or Big Cottonwood Canyon (via Guardsman Pass) as alternate routes. UDOT said the routes were experiencing delays of at least an hour due to the massive surge in traffic.
Shortly after it reopened, another truck-related issue caused more traffic backup as a semi stalled in the center lane several miles east of the original scene.
“It’s pretty much bumper-to-bumper. We can’t really move anywhere,” said Juan Batalla, who was stuck in Emigration Canyon traffic.
A summer slope stabilization project also contributed to the headache in Emigration. The construction grounds and temporary stoplight system narrow the canyon down to only one shared lane.
By mid-evening, traffic flow was back to normal.
“I commute to work in Chicago every day,” said Charlie Nodus. “There’s not mountains and beautiful lakes and everything to look at. It’s tough to be in a bad mood when you have a beautiful day and beautiful scenery like this.”
Many passengers like Nodus got out of the vehicles and were walking and exercising because they were tired of sitting down.
Authorities said the truck driver was able to safely pull over and disconnect the truck from the trailer. No injuries were reported.
Photos from the scene showed that the trailer was full of frozen Indian food boxed meals. Click HERE to view a photo gallery.
