Grim Start to the Memorial Day Weekend

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

They say that any accident that results in zero injuries is a good one, but Detroit-area residents trying to beat Memorial Day Weekend traffic on Friday probably didn’t feel that relief.

Huge backups were reported west of the city after Interstate 96 was shut down for a heartbreaking reason. It was enough to make normally stoic fire officials pause as they considered what had been lost.

A refrigerated semi-trailer hauling ice-cold Budweiser for hard-working, thirsty Americans burst into flames on Friday after a tire blowout in Genoa Township. The driver was able to detach his cab, but the trailer and its contents couldn’t be saved.

Fire officials shut down the Interstate for hours as the fire — which wasn’t fueled by water, barley and hops — was brought under control and the scene mopped up. Traffic backups were reported east of Brighton as westbound drivers tried to find a way around the foamy blaze.

“The biggest impact is after the fire was out, Corrigan (Towing) had to physically remove all the product out of the trailer in order to haul the trailer away,” said Michael Evans, deputy chief of the Brighton Area Fire Department, to the Detroit Free Press.

No one was injured by the fire, but key deliveries of the King of Beers were delayed at the worst possible time for retailers — and consumers.

“There are no human casualties, injuries — however we did have several alcoholic beverage casualties,” Evans told a local radio station.

[Sources: Detroit Free Press, CBS News] [Image: GMT 02:37/ Flickr]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

More by Steph Willems

Comments
Join the conversation
6 of 53 comments
  • Golden2husky Golden2husky on May 29, 2016

    The rebranded Bud...pretty women with big white toothy smiles, yuppie couples, professional people, nice establishments...now let's roll the clock back to the late 1970s when Bud's ads were geared to blue collar workers...construction sites, big bellied men wearing dirty work clothes..."You make America Work, and this Bud's for YOU"....

  • -Nate -Nate on May 29, 2016

    A Tragi-Comedy to be sure . . Friday I was traversing I10 West though Los Angeles and before sun set I witness a bumblehead enter an exit cloverleaf too fast and wreck his shiny new car on the guard rail .... . I assume drunk/stoned as he hit the railing before the curve really started . . Saturday early evening at nearly the same location I saw another bad crash , this one had the Fire Dept. out trying to wash the spilled oil and gas off the pavement & traffic backed up East almost to down town L.A. . . Some dimwits never really do learn . . My Son is out on Lake Mead in his speed boat right now with his Wife and my Grand Daughter , I hope they'll be fine so farm from home in this annual drunken killfest Holiday . . There are better ways to salute the deceased Veterans than joining them . . -Nate

  • Bricoler1946 Bricoler1946 on May 29, 2016

    Toddatlas,the real Budweiser,known as Budweiser Budvar in Europe is the original. ,because of the ongoing dispute with Anheuser Busch, it can be purchased in N.A as Czechvar. Go ahead and compare the two. I wouldn't wash my car in the stuff that is brewed in N.A

    • ToddAtlasF1 ToddAtlasF1 on May 29, 2016

      I don't drink Budweiser, but the US produces beers like Ballast Point Sculpin, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, and Three Notch'd 40 Mile that make European beers seem like the Europeans of beer.

  • Bricoler1946 Bricoler1946 on May 30, 2016

    I haven't heard of the beers you mentioned,are they only available in NA?

    • ToddAtlasF1 ToddAtlasF1 on May 30, 2016

      I don't know, but I'm a big fan of drinking local beers wherever I am. I don't think beer travels all that well, and usually local beers suit the local climate.

Next