Indiana Officers Save Zebras, Camels, and a Horse Belonging to Circus from ‘Risky’ Highway Fire

Authorities in Indiana sprang into action early Saturday morning when a trailer full of live circus animals caught fire on the interstate.

Indiana State Trooper Edward Titus spotted the semi truck and trailer on fire while on patrol on Interstate 96 shortly after 2:00 a.m., according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

A sheriff’s office release on the incident said the driver of the truck, 57-year-old Armando C. Alvarez, “safely” exited the vehicle, which was “engulfed in flames” by the time law enforcement arrived on the scene. Officers who responded to the fire quickly learned that the burning trailer was filled with animals from the Shrine Circus. In response, Titus and a deputy entered the trailer and rescued the animals from the flames, including five zebras, four camels and a miniature horse.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office

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Additional officers assisted in the rescue, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, keeping the animals safe until circus staff arrived to retrieve the creatures.

“It’s not something we see every day,” Brent Ressett, a Grant County sheriff’s deputy, told NBC News of the fire rescue.

After cleaning up, roads closed due to the fire were reopened around 6:30 a.m

Police rescue animals from trailer fire on highway.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office

“A preliminary accident investigation by Officer James Wilkison revealed that the cause of the fire was an equipment malfunction,” the Grant County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

The agency added that several law enforcement officers who participated in the rescue were treated for smoke inhalation and later released; all the animals pulled from the trailer came out of the fire unharmed.

Steve Trump, director of the Mizpah Shrine Circus, told NBC that the animals were headed from Florida to Fort Wayne for weekend performances. Trump added that the truck stopped on the highway to check the problem and that the fire had spread. While the truck was destroyed, another transported the animals to the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. I was thrilled that things turned out the way they did, Trump told NBC News.

The scene of an animal trailer fire on a highway in Indiana.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office

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Photos and video of the rescue shared on Facebook by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office show a smoke-filled trailer and zebras and camels walking along the side of the interstate with officers watching nearby.

“More footage from this morning’s extraordinary animal rescue on I-69! We are grateful for our tight-knit community that has come together in challenging times,” the agency wrote on Facebook as it shared images from the rescue. “Let’s keep spreading the positivity!”

Body camera footage from the rescue shows police entering the vehicle with their flashlights and rushing to get the zebras to safety away from the flames.

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Police pose with animals after rescuing them from a trailer fire.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office

“A risky I-69 rescue involving camels, zebras and a miniature horse was captured on body camera this weekend. Deputy Kennedy, Officer Titus, Sergeant Meeks, the driver and others risked their lives to save these animals,” Grant County Sheriff’s Office wrote. “We are proud of everyone who participated in this event.

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Source: HIS Education