Monster Jam trucks damaged in California highway fire
(KTXL) — Two of the beloved monster trucks featured in the Monster Jam motorsports event were damaged Tuesday morning when the semi-trailer they were being transported in became engulfed in flames.
The tractor-trailer caught fire on Highway 50 in Sacramento around 8:30 a.m., according to the Sacramento Fire Department.
A Sacramento driver spotted the fire from an overpass, capturing video, seen in the player above, of flames rising from the trailer as the truck traveled down the highway. Black smoke billowed from the trailer, casting the traffic behind the truck in a dark shadow.
Fire officials said the driver was able to release the tractor from the trailer before it could be involved in the fire.
Unfortunately, the trailer and its cargo weren’t entirely saved from the fire.
Two monster trucks — Megalodon and Scooby-Doo — were damaged. Both trucks appear during Monster Jam events held throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Portions of both trucks were melted or charred. The Scooby-Doo truck, seen below, looks almost nothing like the dog it’s named after.
The fire impacted morning traffic in the area, as the California Highway Patrol closed the exit for about three hours to allow four tow trucks to remove the two monster trucks and trailer from the freeway.
There were no injuries in the incident. It’s unclear how the fire started.
Officials said the two monster trucks inside the trailer were on their way to get worked on ahead of a Monster Jam event this weekend in San Jose. Officials added that both trucks could potentially be worth around $1 million.
“These kinds of fires, they do happen from time to time, where a fire will ignite inside of a trailer,” Jeremy Squires with the CHP told KTXL. “It’s not uncommon but it doesn’t happen very often.”
Feld Entertainment, Monster Jam’s parent company, said it expects to have a full lineup for the San Jose event.