Three cows are dead after a transport truck caught fire near New Maryland, N.B. on Monday.
The RCMP responded to the Trans-Canada Highway roughly 5 kilometres east of New Maryland shortly before 6 p.m.
Police say the truck had been carrying more than 40 head of cattle and two horses.
The driver managed to pull over and free 11 of the cows, but three cows died in the fire.
The rest of the livestock remained on the trailer and weren’t injured.
The Fredericton Fire Department, the New Brunswick Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Branch, a veterinarian with the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, and Maritime Road Development Corporation also responded to the incident.
The westbound lanes of the highway were closed for about three hours while crews cleared the scene. It reopened shortly before 9 p.m.
Police say it appears the fire originated from a wheel on the trailer. No charges are anticipated.
