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WATCH: Fireworks Erupt From Burning Trailer, Forcing Highway Shutdown

"As a precaution, both northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 were temporarily shut down due to ongoing firework explosions."

Emily Briski
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WATCH: Fireworks Erupt From Burning Trailer, Forcing Highway Shutdown
Cindy Yamanaka/MediaNews Group/The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images

A trailer carrying fireworks ignited a pre-Fourth of July spectacle on Saturday evening, forcing authorities to shut down a Tennessee highway.

The Chattanooga Fire Department shared a video of the flaming trailer, which showed pyrotechnic sparks flying in all directions on the northbound Interstate 75 past the Ooltewah exit

The Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department was also on the scene, and said, “As a precaution, both northbound and southbound lanes of I-75 were temporarily shut down due to ongoing firework explosions and to allow fire apparatus safe access to the scene,” leaving traffic at a standstill. 

  

 

The department “received mutual aid assistance from Chattanooga Fire Department at the scene, along with fill-in coverage from Catoosa County [Georgia] and Highway 58 fire departments to help maintain emergency response coverage throughout our district.”

A spokesman for the Chattanooga Fire Department told Fox News that northbound lanes were closed longer than the southbound lanes as crews monitored the scene and cleared the scorched trailer from the highway.

Authorities have not released any information on the cause of the fire or where the trailer was being transported. No injuries were reported. 

According to Tennessee law, “Consumer” fireworks can be “used without a display permit, as long as local authorities have approved any necessary safety measures,” whereas larger “Professional” fireworks require a “Fireworks Display Permit with the State of Tennessee.” 

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