(Photo by Andrea Wright)
By CATHERINE DONNELLY
Special to the PRESS
At about 4:40 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, people were greeted with the spectacle of a fire raging from the bed of a red Chevy Silverado extended cab pickup truck with Ohio plates in the westbound outside lane of the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, leaving South Padre Island (SPI) going in the direction of Port Isabel. The air reportedly smelled heavily of fuel as an estimated couple of hundred cars drove slowly past the vehicle before authorities were yet on the scene.
“As I turned the corner to enter the causeway, I saw a huge cloud of black smoke forming at what seemed like the top of the bridge. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late to turn around,” said Andrea Wright, Laguna Vista resident. She continued, “As each car slowly approached the burning truck to pass it in the left lane, it was quite unsettling to know there weren’t any first responders or police to direct us. It must have just happened.”
The bridge has a split jurisdiction for emergency responses. The Port Isabel Fire and Police Departments or those of South Padre will be dispatched, depending on where the incident is located and who has the easiest access.
“I followed the vehicle in front of me and hoped the truck wouldn’t explode since there was an overwhelming smell of gasoline in the air,” added Wright. “I’m glad no one was hurt, but like everyone else, I’m still wondering what caused such a fire to ignite.”
According to police reports, the calls started coming into South Padre Island’s emergency number at 4:38 p.m. regarding a red Silverado pick-up truck with Ohio plates and the bed fully engulfed with fire. The driver and passenger were reported to have safely exited the vehicle. By 4:41, the SPI Police Department was directing traffic at the base of the bridge, and a few minutes later, the causeway was closed to traffic.
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