Two men escaped without injury after a van pulling a trailer caught on fire and became fully engulfed in flames on Interstate 90 near Huntley Saturday afternoon.
The Huntley Fire Protection District and Illinois State Police responded around 3:20 p.m. Saturday to Interstate 90 at milepost 44.5 south of Huntley for a report of a vehicle fire.
Illinois State Police said the incident occurred in the eastbound lanes of traffic directly under the Hennig Road bridge.
The vehicle, a van pulling a trailer, caught on fire for unknown reasons on the right shoulder, state police said.
Firefighters responding reported seeing heavy black smoke in the distance from the fire, according to Huntley Fire Protection District Public Information Officer Alex Vucha.
Multiple 911 calls were received regarding the fire.
Fire crews arrived on the scene and confirmed the passenger van was fully engulfed in flames, Vucha said.
The two adult male occupants had exited the vehicle prior to arrival and were uninjured.
Firefighters closed the outside lane of the interstate during fire suppression operations for their safety, Vucha said.
The fire was quickly brought under control and firefighters remained on the scene briefly to perform overhaul operations and clean up before normal traffic flow resumed.
Vucha said the van, which was towing a trailer loaded with DJ equipment, had completely burned. The attached trailer sustained minor damage in the fire.
A flatbed tow truck was called to remove the van from the scene. The trailer remained at the scene before later being picked up.
The Huntley Police Department shut down traffic on the Hennig Road bridge during the incident until the fire was extinguished.
The Huntley Fire Protection District said it appreciates the assistance of the Illinois State Police and the Illinois Tollway Authority for their help with traffic control and scene safety during the incident.