Tanker truck fire sparks grass fire, shuts down interstate

A grass fire that erupted Wednesday north of Monument scorched 250 acres before being contained.

The flames erupted from a tanker truck hauling jet fuel. The flames melted the truck in half. Troopers say the fire was caused by a mechanical failure.

I-25 was shut down for hours, causing miles of backups. By late afternoon, crews were finally able to reopen part of the interstate. No one was hurt.