Current:Home > FinanceZebras, camels, pony graze Indiana highway after being rescued from semi-truck fire: Watch -Elevate Capital Network
Zebras, camels, pony graze Indiana highway after being rescued from semi-truck fire: Watch
View
Date:2025-04-12 10:12:49
Indiana first responders arrived early Saturday morning at an animal control situation on steroids: camels and zebras were caught in a burning semi-truck on the interstate.
After officers freed the animals, a bizarre scene emerged. The menagerie, which also included a miniature pony, munched amid the roadway median while firefighters fought the blaze.
Flames and emergency lighting mixed to create a supernaturally-lit spectacle. "It's not every day you get to see camels and zebras and mini-horses on an interstate," said Indiana State Police public information officer Sgt. Steven Glass, who did not go out to the scene just east of Marion, Ind.
Photo find:A woman's 1959 bridal photos were long lost. Now the 85-year-old has those memories back.
How did camels and zebras wind up on an Indiana highway?
About 2 a.m. on Interstate 69 near the 263 mile-marker, Indiana state trooper Edward Titus saw the cab of a 2012 Volvo semi-truck and trailer engulfed in flames, according to state police.
The driver, Armando C. Alvarez, 57, of Sarasota, Fla., who was uninjured, told Titus the trailer was loaded with animals from the Shrine Circus. The animals were reportedly on the way to the Mizpah Shrine Circus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Trooper Titus and Grant County (Ind.) Deputy Joshua Kennedy, along with a member of the Shrine Circus, rescued five zebras, four camels, and a miniature horse, police said.
With the animals on the burning semi-truck "they needed to do some type of evacuation," Grant County Sheriff's Office public information officer Brent Ressett told USA TODAY. No animals perished in the fire, police said.
Trooper Titus and Deputy Kennedy were treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and later released without additional injury, police said. Mr. Alvarez and all animals were uninjured.
With the highway shut down, officers moved the animals to the center of the roadway, he said.
"They just started grazing actually in the middle of the interstate, which which kept them occupied, which was a good thing," Ressett said. "And they were all docile, obviously, they had bridles on so you know, wasn't like they couldn't be moved around. And the the median kind of served as a corral because of the guardrail."
The incident could have been more dangerous. A second semi-truck traveling along with the first had tigers and lions on board, Ressett said. "That might have been a little bit more interesting," he said.
All lanes were opened at about 6:30 a.m. Police issued no citations and the preliminary crash investigation revealed an equipment failure caused the semi-truck fire, Indiana State Police public information officer Sgt. Steven Glasssaid.
Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.
What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
veryGood! (26811)
Related
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Billionaires are ditching Nvidia. Here are the 2 AI stocks they're buying instead.
- Trial date postponed for ex-elected official accused of killing Las Vegas journalist
- South Carolina House nears passage of budget as Republicans argue what government should do
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Lake Minnetonka just misses breaking 100-year record, ice remains after warm winter
- Why Jason and Travis Kelce Are Thanking the Swifties for Their Latest Achievement
- As TikTok bill steams forward, online influencers put on their lobbying hats to visit Washington
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- 4 International Space Station crew members undock, head for Tuesday splashdown in Gulf of Mexico
Ranking
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Reports: Vikings adding free-agent QB Sam Darnold, RB Aaron Jones
- Eric Carmen, 'All By Myself' singer and frontman of the Raspberries, dies at 74
- Céline Dion Makes Rare Public Appearance at Hockey Game Amid Health Battle
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Massachusetts governor appeals denial of federal disaster aid for flooding
- Man suspected of robberies fatally shot by Texas officers after the robbery of a liquor store
- Princess Kate admits photo editing, apologizes for any confusion as agencies drop image of her and her kids
Recommendation
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
2024 NBA mock draft March Madness edition: Kentucky, Baylor, Duke tout multiple prospects
Sharon Stone reveals studio executive who allegedly pressured her to have sex with Billy Baldwin
Romanian court grants UK’s request to extradite Andrew Tate, once local legal cases are concluded
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Don Julio 1942 was the unofficial beverage of the 2024 Oscars, here's where to get it
Messi 'a never-ending conundrum' for Nashville vs. Inter Miami in Concacaf Champions Cup
Gender ID, sexual orientation can be talked about in Florida classrooms after lawsuit settlement