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Lorry carrying 42,000lbs of ham explodes after bursting into flames on motorway

No one was injured in the blast

Caroline Mortimer
Sunday 01 May 2016 12:26 BST
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The lorry was transporting ham from a Smithfield plant when it caught fire and exploded
The lorry was transporting ham from a Smithfield plant when it caught fire and exploded (Getty Images)

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A lorry transporting 42,000 pounds of ham has exploded after catching fire on a motorway in the US.

The lorry was travelling from a Smithfield Ham plant along the Highway 87 near the town of Fayette in Cumberland County, North Carolina, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The driver stopped the vehicle when another driver noticed a fire in its trailer, Wral.com reports.

Local officials say he then looked under the trailer before an explosion happened.

The official cause of the fire was ruled as a mechanical fault.

No one was injured in the blast.

The incident prompted a series of humourous posts on social media and forum website Reddit, with one user saying someone needed to call a “hambulance”.

Another said: “No, call the cops. It was bacon the law”.

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