Picture of the hay bale fire. (Sergeant Jesse Grabow, Minnesota State Patrol)
Fergus Falls, MN – At around 11:45 Tuesday morning (October 1st), the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a report of a semi fire on eastbound I-94 in Fergus Falls, near mile marker 52.
According to Sergeant Jesse Grabow of the State Patrol, the semi was transporting hay bales, which caught on fire. The driver, 64-year-old Gerald Bergen of Carrot River, Saskatchewan, was outside and along the semi-trailer attending to the load, when he was injured by a trailer tire that blew out. Bergen was transported to Lake Region Healthcare and eventually to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for his injuries, the extent of which are unknown.
Traffic was impacted for approximately four hours in the area.
The State Patrol was assisted by the Fergus Falls Fire Department, Elizabeth Fire Department, the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Beyer Towing.