I-43 traffic near Grafton rerouted as crews battle semi-trailer fire

Northbound lanes on I-43 near Grafton were closed for two hours last Friday after a semi-trailer truck became engulfed in flames.

The Grafton Fire Department responded to the scene near Lakefield Road in the Town of Grafton at 12:42 p.m. Friday, June 7, for a report of the truck on fire.

Grafton Fire Chief Bill Rice said first responders could see black smoke coming from the vehicle miles away as they were approaching the scene.

The driver of the truck was able to escape before the firefighters arrived. She said that in her rear-view mirror she saw black smoke coming from the trailer and pulled over. When she got out of the truck, the vehicle was totally consumed by the fire.

Rice said the vehicle was a total loss.  

The truck was transporting bite-size chocolates in cardboard drums, which also started on fire.

“We were able to knock that fire down before it spread too far within the trailer,” Rice said, noting firefighters had to cut holes in the side of the trailer to extinguish the flames. “That took a lot of work.”

Rice said heat from the fire melted the tops of the truck’s saddle fuel tanks, which were full. The Ozaukee County emergency hazardous materials team was able to remove the fuel before the vehicle was towed.

Rice said the cause of the fire is unknown. 

The Cedarburg and Mequon fire departments  and Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident.