Fireworks trailer explodes on Tennessee interstate

A trailer packed with fireworks caught fire on Interstate 75 in Tennessee on Saturday evening, sending rockets and sparks across the highway in a dramatic pre-Fourth of July blast that authorities said endangered drivers but caused no reported injuries.

First responders were called to a reported vehicle fire on northbound I-75 in Ooltewah, a community about 25 miles east of Chattanooga. When they arrived, they found a stopped work truck hauling a box trailer that was burning and erupting with fireworks, according to fire officials.

“The trailer was full of fireworks, all of which became involved in the fire and exploded during the incident,” the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement.

Cellphone video captured the scene as fireworks shot out of the trailer and dark smoke rose into the sky. The Guardian reported that video showed sparks and rockets bursting from the trailer as people watched from an overpass. In a Facebook video, the fire department said the fireworks “were going off in different directions, endangering drivers.”

Authorities shut down the highway as a precaution and to give emergency crews room to get through traffic, the fire department said. Chattanooga city crews assisted at the scene. Traffic was halted while first responders worked to bring the fire under control and crews cleaned up the roadway.

No injuries were reported. The highway later reopened after cleanup was completed, the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department said.

Officials did not immediately say what caused the fire. It also was not clear where the truck and trailer were headed.

Consumer fireworks are generally legal in Tennessee, though local governments may prohibit them. Public fireworks productions require display permits under state rules. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, which covers the area where the fire occurred, says “the safe discharge of fireworks” is allowed but may be prohibited by individual cities.