Circus animals rescued after truck catches fire on Interstate 69 in Indiana

CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Indiana State Police trooper and two Grant County Sheriff's deputies helped rescue several circus animals, after the semi-trailer truck they were in caught fire early Sunday.

State police said a trooper on patrol on Interstate 69 around 2 a.m. Sunday in Grant County, about 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis, saw the cab of a semi-trailer truck was engulfed in flames.

The trailer was loaded with animals from the Shrine Circus. The trooper, two Grant County Sheriff's deputies, and a Shrine Circus worker rescued five zebras, four camels, and a miniature horse.

The animals were loaded on other trucks from the Shrine Circus.

The trooper and the sheriff's deputy who helped rescue the animals were treated for smoke inhalation. The truck driver and the animals were not hurt.

The northbound lanes of I-69 were closed for more than four hours after the fire.

Investigators believe an equipment failure in the truck caused the fire.