Route 7 was closed for an hour today between 12:31 p.m. and 1:26 p.m. as police and firefighters investigated two separate incidents on the road that happened about the same time.
In one incident, a truck was on fire along the road. Firefighters responded. There were no injuries.
In a second incident, a car and a bicycle were involved in a collision near the Copps Hill shopping center. There were apparently no injuries. The bicyclist rode off into the shopping center, and police officers attempted to locate him.
Route 7 was closed between New Road and Cain’s Hill Road.
Fire and smoke erupetd from the fuel injection system on a 2007 Dodge Ram four-wheel drive pickup, said Fire Marshal David Lathrop.
“It made a loud noise, she pulled over, put the emergency flashers on, and shut the truck off,” Lathrop said. “When she restarted, smoke poured out. She got out and called 911. By the time we arrived it was fully involved, in the motor compartment, and spread to the passenger compartment.”
Firefighters used a combination of water and dry powdeer to extinguish the blaze.
It caused a heavy traffic backup on Ethan Allen Highway.
“We had trucks line up on Ethan Allen Highway and sit there,” Lathrop said.
Cars were diverted through Redding.