Truck hauling bananas catches fire on Oregon interstate

ASHLAND, Ore., July 14 (UPI) -- A stretch of Oregon highway was left hot and slippery when a semi truck hauling a load of bananas caught fire in transit.

The Oregon Department of Transpiration said the truck's brakes overheated Wednesday afternoon on northbound Interstate 5, south of Ashland, causing the vehicle to catch fire.

The driver was able to escape the truck without injuries before the fire engulfed the entire vehicle, ODOT said.

Witness Sean Scudder captured a photo of the truck shortly after it caught fire and posted it to Facebook.

ODOT tweeted a photo of the smoldering remains of the truck and its banana cargo just after the flames were extinguished by firefighters.

Another witness, Stefanie Steffensen‎, posted photos on Facebook showing the truck's cab and trailer after the smoke had cleared.

The road was reopened to traffic Wednesday evening.