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

Sharon’s Comment: 57 yr. old Armado C. Alvarez “safely” left the vehicle which was “engulfed in flames” by the time law enforcement arrived.

It appears that state troopers on the highway saw a semi-truck in flames and rushed to assist.

It appears that no one called law enforcement until the state troopers were already there. What did the driver do, start the fire or was he sleeping or drunk to let it get so far out of hand before fire trucks could get on the scene? Drivers don’t travel with a phone? Maybe the driver made no attempt to save the animals.

There are too many unanswered questions. Just because everyone got out safely doesn’t mean there isn’t blame that hopely will be sorted out.

How does a malfunction of a semi-truck cause a fire that big and what was the driver doing and why did he wait till a state trooper just happened by and saw it from a distance?

Whatever reporter originally wrote this story should have asked more questions. If that had been a truck of humans, questions as well as answers would have been demanded.

Did the driver even try to assist in rescuing the animals? One must wonder if the fire started in the cabin, how did it spread so fast to the entire truck. Was anybody human inside the truck with the animals? Hitching a ride or smoking?

Mizpah Shrine Circus didn’t have much to say, except they were thrilled that things worked out the way they did.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana noted that “all animals were uninjured”

By Brenton Blanchet

Brenton Blanchet is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. He has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Brenton’s work has previously appeared in Billboard, Pigeons & Planes and Complex.

Updated on January 29, 2024 05:48PM EST

Authorities in Indiana sprung into action early Saturday morning when a trailer filled with live circus animals caught fire on an interstate.

Edward Titus, an Indiana state trooper, spotted a blazing semi-truck and trailer while patrolling Interstate 96 shortly after 2:00 a.m., according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.

The sheriff’s office’s post about the incident noted that the truck’s driver, 57-year-old Armando C. Alvarez, had “safely” left the vehicle, which was “engulfed in flames” by the time law enforcement arrived at the scene. Officers responding 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 saved the animals from the flames, including five zebras, four camels, and a miniature horse.

Police Save Circus Animals from Burning Trailer — GRANT COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Vietnam Circus Decides to End Bear Performances and Surrenders 4 Moon Bears to Animal Rescue

Additional officers helped with the rescue, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, by keeping the animals secure until circus personnel arrived to collect the creatures.

“It’s not something we see every day,” Brent Ressett, a deputy with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, said of the fiery rescue, per NBC News.

Following a cleanup, roads closed by the blaze opened back up around 6:30 a.m.

“The preliminary crash investigation by Trooper James Wilkison revealed that an equipment failure was the cause of the fire,” the Grant County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.

The agency added that several members of law enforcement who took part in the rescue were treated for smoke inhalation and later released; all animals pulled from the trailer left the fire uninjured.

Steve Trump, a circus director for 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 a problem and that the fire spread. While the truck was destroyed, another transported the animals to Fort Wayne’s Memorial Coliseum. “I was thrilled that things worked out that way,” Trump told NBC News.

“Body cam captured the risky I-69 rescue involving camels, zebras, and a miniature horse from this weekend. Deputy Kennedy, Trooper Titus, Sergeant Meeks, the Driver, and others risked their lives to save these animals,” the Grant County Sheriff’s Office wrote. “We are proud of all those who participated in this event.”