Just after noon on Friday, a tractor trailer hauling fertilizer caught fire on southbound Highway 87, 10-miles south of Payson near Rye. DPS Spokesperson Bart Graves says the driver had pulled off the road and when crews arrived the truck was fully engulfed including the cab. Graves says the gas tank then exploded flowed by a few smaller explosions. No injuries were reported. Graves says faulty brakes are being blamed for causing the fire. The southbound lanes of Highway 87 were completely closed for several hours. Traffic was then rerouted around the incident using the median and one northbound lane until a single southbound lane was reopened at 3pm. Graves says the semi continued to burn for several hours.
