Hall County Sheriff's Deputy Jayson Smith said a tire blew on the semi and as the truck slowed down the brakes overheated and ignited the fire.

The driver, 56-year-old Gary Knowles of Glendale, Ariz., safely escaped the flaming cab.

The fire was contained to the cab and truck itself, not the trailer, which Smith believed was carrying paint.

The fire at 6:21 p.m. Saturday caused a 45-minute shutdown of the outside westbound lanes of the interstate, Smith said.

The fire spread into the ditch and a nearby field before Shelton firefighters doused the blaze. The Wood River Fire Department was called in for mutual aid.

"It was very visible a lot of smoke, very black smoke," Smith said of the fire.

The Freightliner was declared a total loss.