This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

An early Thursday morning semi-trailer fire on northbound Interstate 15 closed down the ramp to westbound Interstate 80.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce said both drivers of the truck, which was hauling a trailer load of wooden cabinets out of California, were unhurt. However, the big rig and its load were a total loss.

Troopers believe the fire started in the semi's braking system about 3 a.m.

By 6:30 a.m., the blaze had been extinguished and one lane remained closed. However, the extreme cold — temperatures Thursday morning were in the single digits — made travel through the accident scene extremely treacherous.

"They had to put a lot of water on the fire, so with the cold temperatures that water froze on the road surface," Royce said.

Utah Department of Transportation crews were dispatched applied road salt to melt the ice.

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