Authorities are looking into whether a discarded cigarette from a passing vehicle on Interstate 95 sparked a fire in a trailer that killed six thoroughbred horses.
North Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper K.B. Heath said the drivers of a tractor-trailer traveling from Florida to New York pulled the vehicle over after discovering smoke coming from the trailer Friday evening on I-95 about three miles south of Rocky Mount.
He said straw and hay inside the trailer ignited and the men were unable to get the horses out. The co-driver of the vehicle suffered minor burns. Traffic backed up five miles while fire officials put out the blaze.
Heath said a preliminary investigation indicates the possibility the fire started from a discarded cigarette as no electrical problems with the truck were found.
Topics North Carolina
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