'Camels and zebras' run on I-69 after semi fire in Grant County
An officer with the Grant County Sheriff's Office said the animals were from the Mizpah Shrine Circus in Fort Wayne.
Author: WTHR.com staff, Anna Chalker, Zachary Jones
Published: 2:36 AM EST January 27, 2024
Updated: 12:53 PM EST January 29, 2024
GRANT COUNTY, Ind. — A vehicle fire involving a semitrailer hauling animals, including camels and zebras, closed both northbound lanes of Interstate 69 early Saturday morning.
Indiana State Police and Grant County Sheriff's Office (GCSO) officials responded to the incident around 2 a.m. Jan. 27 near Marion.
Brent Ressett, a public information officer for the GCSO, said the animals were from the Mizpah Shrine Circus in Fort Wayne. He also said the animals were still in the trailer when officers arrived, and they had to rescue them.
The GCSO shared photos on Facebook of officers rescuing the animals and holding them in the middle grass strip of I-69.
Update: The Northbound lane is now open!! 🚨 Urgent Traffic Update 🚨 🛣️ Avoid Interstate 69 at the 264-mile marker –...
Posted by Grant County Sheriff's Office - Marion, IN on Friday, January 26, 2024
Ressett said two officials were checked for smoke inhalation after the incident.
All animals were contained and accounted for around 3:30 a.m., according to ISP, and all of the animals involved were rescued safely, according to GCSO.
"It's awesome to see that teamwork, that they get together, that they do their job, and they will go inside a trailer that has smoke that is filling up because the cab is engulfed in flames," said Sgt. Steven Glass, ISP Peru District's Public Information Officer.
ISP says the crash closed all northbound lanes, and southbound lanes were down to just one lane. After the fire was put out, all lanes were opened at 6:30 a.m.
Equipment failure was the cause of the fire, according to ISP.
"It's definitely a unique situation to deal with — not only the semi fire, but with those types of animals in the state of Indiana," Glass said.
