RE: Quite A Weiner Roast (chezkatie)

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 19:59:44 GMT

I am sorry that this poor truck driver had such a bad experience but I am thankful that so many people will not have to eat an Oscar Meyer hot dog!

Quite A Weiner Roast (Liketoeat)

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 18:31:47 GMT

Truck Loaded With Hot Dogs Catches Fire

POSTED: 1:21 p.m. EST November 6, 2003
DES MOINES, Iowa -- There was a giant weenie roast on Interstate 380, but there was no mustard for many a mile marker.

A truck carrying 43,500 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey hot dogs caught fire about 10 p.m. Tuesday, said Trooper Tom Estrada of the Iowa State Patrol.

Instead of the aroma of roasting meat, troopers and firefighters had to endure black smoke and the acrid smell of burning rubber.

"Some type of mechanical problem caused a wheel to overheat," Estrada said. "The driver pulled over and opened the hood of the refrigerator power unit. That exposed hot oil to the air and helped ignite the fire."

The truck driver, Wayne A. Mathison, 60, of Cherry, Ill., was not injured.

The northbound lanes of the interstate near the small town of Urbana, which is between Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, were closed for about three hours.