Trailer full of bees breaks down in Salt Lake City

By Steve Gehrke

The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 05/15/2009 10:46:00 AM MDT

A trucker, en route from California to South Dakota, had trouble getting a lift when his vehicle broke down in Salt Lake City on Thursday night.

Blame it on the bees.

"Tow truck companies weren't all that interested in picking up a trailer full of 300 active beehives," said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Mark Bednarik.

The man was hauling bees and hives for the Sturgis Honey Company along Interstate 80. He had reached about 2500 West at 5:30 p.m. Thursday when the trailer's axle overheated and caught fire. Crews quickly doused the burned axle, Bednarik said.

Since it was hard to find a tow, a firefighter, who also does snow plow work, helped the man get his trailer into a salt fill where he keeps his plow equipment, Bednarik said.

The man was still at the Salt Lake City garage getting his trailer fixed Friday morning and expected to be back on the road by the afternoon.

Bednarik praised the fire employees for "going well above and beyond what's expected."