Truck carrying vegetables catches fire, disrupts traffic on I-78 in Hunterdon County

A tractor-trailer caught fire Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 78 in Union Township, leaving vegetables splattered across the highway and traffic backed up for miles in Hunterdon County.

It took crews until nightfall, more than six hours after the fire started, to completely clean the scene.

Truck drivers said a stretch of I-78 that normally takes 10 minutes to drive has become a chore because of traffic.

New Jersey State Police said there were no injuries in the incident. The tractor-trailer was carrying crates of vegetables, which were eventually loaded into dumpsters.

“It’s a loss for everyone because the supermarket expects it, the people expect it,” said truck driver Abelardo Zorilla. “Now it’s gone. This is why insurance increases.

Smoke billowed as firefighters put out the flames. The tractor-trailer was mangled and towed.

Truck drivers like Zorilla say safety is a priority, but they often don’t realize there’s a fire until it’s too late.

“You’ll see flames,” Zorilla said. “We try to have all the security. We have fire extinguishers. We have the (emergency) triangles. When it’s a big fire, just call 911.”

State police are investigating the cause of the fire.