Golden Valley Firefighters had their hands full for several hours Tuesday at 10:30 AM when a semi-truck carrying various appliances caught fire as it was traveling Eastbound on Hwy-40 about Mile-Post 41. Traffic came to a complete halt for 3-½ hours due to intensity of the fire and the extreme amount of smoke produced, often obstructing visibility for both east and westbound traffic. The intensity of the blaze started a grass fire according to Assistant Chief Jack Yeager; “The radiant heat alone started an additional brush fire over 40-feet from the semi”. In all, two GVFD Fire Engines, one Water Tender from Yucca, a Brush Truck from KFD and a unit from BLM were used to contain both fires. The fire was so deep seated and intense, that the ADOT crews used a Loader under the direction of A/C Yeager to pull the trailer apart and dump the contents so crews could extinguish the fire and re-open the freeway. Traffic lanes were re-opened approximately 2:00 PM, to relieve the reported over 25-mile back-up. There were no injuries reported.