Trailer gutted by fire on I-70

A trailer full of flooring materials caught fire Thursday afternoon on the Belle Vernon off ramp of Interstate 70.

Southwest Regional Police Chief John Hartman said John M. Ash, 34, of 358 Cambridge St., Cumberland, Md., was hauling a trailer full of rugs, floor tile and glue when a malfunction in the back of the trailer ignited the items at about 1:15 p.m.

Ash, who owns a flooring company under his name, told police that the suspension in the rear right wheel of the trailer failed and heated up, causing either a rug laying on one of the wheel wells or the plywood walls of the trailer to ignite.

Ash was traveling from Ohio to Philadelphia in a pick-up truck hauling the trailer on I-70 eastbound with a work crew when one of workers noticed smoke coming from the trailer.

Ash pulled off on the Belle Vernon exit ramp.

Hartman said four 15-gallon buckets of flammable glue caught on fire, along with the rugs and floor tile, gutting the trailer.

Ash suffered a minor burn on his left forearm when he opened the trailer to inspect the damage.

He refused medical treatment.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire departments from Belle Vernon, North Belle Vernon, Charleroi, Washington Township and Fayette City responded to the fire with police from the Southwest Regional and North Belle Vernon departments and the state police barracks in Rostraver Township.