We Drove Past a Major Semi Fire on the Way Home from Jelly Roll

Last night on the way home from the Jelly Roll concert in Walla Walla, we had to stop for a while because of a large semi fire.

Traffic near Wallula Junction slowed to a crawl when we noticed the orange and red glow of fire crews fighting a semi fire near the Madame Dorian Bridge.

Walla Walla County Fire District 5 was working the scene when we passed, with all the flames extinguished, but the destruction remained. I saw photos online from when the fire started before sunset. PulsePoint says the fire was reported at 7:50 PM.

Get our free mobile app

We were passing just after 10:45 PM. That is a long time to be fighting a semi fire.

What the Scene Looked Like Driving Past

The first thing that hit was the cab, or what was left of it. It appeared to have burned completely, a charred shell sitting at the front of the rig with some tires and maybe the engine recognizable.

The trailer behind it was mostly intact structurally, with some black burn marks and damage near where the cab used to be.

Fire crews were working along the sides of the trailer, one using a Sawzall, cutting deliberate slits into the metal walls to reach whatever was burning inside the cargo area.

Driving past the cuts in the trailer, the edges had been stripped of paint and looked like the tears had melted from the heat.

It was only after watching video from the scene later that the full picture made sense. Crews were ventilating the trailer to attack hot spots burning deep inside the load where a hose stream alone could not reach.

You can even see some of the cargo spilling out, which strangely looks kind of metallic.

The Traffic Impact on Concert Traffic

One lane near the Madame Dorian Bridge was closed, with alternating traffic being let through in single file. For the thousands of Jelly Roll concertgoers making the drive back to the Tri-Cities and beyond after the show, the backup added more time to an already late-night return trip.

Get our free mobile app

Jelly Roll put on a great show, but watching a burning semi get sawed apart at the side of the highway at 10 PM after a concert is not exactly the encore anyone was expecting.