A local construction company had to be called in late Monday to replace part of Interstate 65 that was damaged when a semi filled with paint cans burst into flames.

Around 1 p.m., Indiana State Police troopers responded to a report of a vehicle fire in the southbound lanes of I-65 just north of the Demotte/Roselawn exit, according to a news release. Investigators discovered that the driver of a 2021 Volvo semi had pulled over due to a mechanical problem with the vehicle. Once stopped, the driver saw that the brakes on one side of the tractor were glowing red and had caught on fire, police said. The driver’s attempts to put out the fire with her fire extinguisher failed as the fire had already spread to the vehicle. The blaze engulfed the cab and trailer, police said, and the truck’s cargo — spray paint cans — ignited and caused an intense fire that quickly spread to the adjacent trees and even caught the asphalt roadway surface on fire.

Video of the conflagration released by police was peppered with popping sounds and flying objects consistent with spray paint cans exploding.

The driver of the semi was not injured, the release stated.

Keener Twp Fire, Lowell Fire, Wheatfield Fire, Hebron Fire, Rensselaer Fire, Marion Township Fire, Lake County HazMat and Newton County EMA responded to the scene. Response Management Services (RMS) was called to the scene for removal of the contaminated materials and dirt, police said.

At one point, lanes in both directions were closed due to the smoke and dangerous conditions; southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate at the Lowell exit. Once the fire was out, northbound lanes were reopened; however, southbound lanes remained closed, police said.

One southbound lane was eventually opened to alleviate traffic that had been caught in the backup. But southbound lanes were again closed as Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Rieth-Riley had to replace a large section of asphalt that had irreparable damage from the fire.

The concrete had to be resurfaced and the work was finished around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, INDOT said. About 7,700 square feet of asphalt with a depth of 4 inches — and 6 inches on the outside shoulder — had to be replaced overnight.