“Upon arrival, deputies and fire personnel discovered the vehicle fully engulfed in flames,” the office wrote. “Thanks to the quick actions of the driver, the horse trailer was disconnected and the horses were safely moved away from the burning vehicle before the fire spread.”
Although images from the scene show the truck reduced to a charred shell, authorities said no injuries were reported. A few horses were pictured safely grazing in the grass on the side of the highway.
“Emergency crews worked quickly to extinguish the fire and clear the roadway,” Herman’s office wrote. “Motorists should expect delays in the area while cleanup operations continue.”
The cause of the fire was not immediately released.
The post’s comment section quickly filled with Houstonians expressing relief over the happy ending—even some who said they saw the incident unfold in person.
“Terrifying! I was there when they were unloading horses, stopped to see if they needed anything as I was on my way home from tending my horses,” Nicole Breedlove Hunt wrote. “Mad props to the driver who was extremely quick to unhook that gooseneck LQ and push (the) truck away!”
Hunt said the driver saved the day, the horses and any passengers. .
The incident is the second involving a horse trailer in the Houston area in less than a week. In a separate crash on the Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land on May 24, a horse was euthanized after a livestock trailer was involved in a collision, according to ABC 13.