POOR BEASTS OF 'BURNIN'!
H'way a circus as animals flee fire
A semitruck hauling circus animals erupted in flames on an Indiana highway early Saturday morning — setting free camels, zebras and a horse to run wild along the pavement.
Troopers were seen scrambling to catch the camels, which trotted across Interstate 69 as smoke billowed from the trailer.
Apparently unfazed by the chaos, five zebras munched on nearby grass as the red lights and sirens of emergency vehicles blared in the background, video footage of the scene shows.
The trailer caught fire around 2 a.m. on the interstate in Grant County, roughly 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
Fortunately, two troopers who had been patrolling the area saw the inferno and rushed to escort the animals to safety, according to Indiana State Police.
“It’s not something we see every day,” said Deputy Brent Ressett with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.
It took about four hours for officials to extinguish the fire and reopen the highway — as well as corral the animals.
The zebras and camels were eager to eat a quick roadside meal as responders fought the fire. The singular miniature horse also didn’t stray far, making all the ungulates easily accounted for after the terrifying inferno.
The semitruck was destroyed in the blaze, the origins of which were attributed by fire officials to equipment failure.
None of the 10 animals or their 57-year-old driver were injured in the accident, officials said.
The two officers who rushed into the smoking trailer to rescue the circus animals were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation but were later released.
Police fenced the camels, zebras and horses between makeshift barriers until other trucks from the Shrine Circus arrived.
The truck was transporting the animals from Florida to Fort Wayne, Ind., for a four-weekend run of circus performances in northeastern Indiana benefiting the Mizpah Shrine Circus, said Steve Trump, circus director.
He said the performances are annual fundraisers for the Mizpah Shrine Circus to help pay for the upkeep of the Shrine Center in Fort Wayne to “allow us to use our other fundraisers for what we’re known best for, taking care of kids.”