Traffic was backed up for miles Monday after a trailer towed by a semi caught fire on I-4 Monday afternoon.
The accident happened shortly before 6 p.m. Most of the lanes were blocked until shortly before 11 p.m.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the Pepsi truck was near mile marker 28 when the left rear tire blew. The blown-out tire became tangled in the axle, which caused it to catch fire.
The fire then spread to the trailer. The driver was able to get the semi away from the trailer before it spread, the FHP said.
Traffic slowed to a crawl while crews dealt with the fire and the wreckage. Among those stuck in the gridlock are the Kidas, who are visiting from New Jersey. They said they are taking the traffic in stride.
"Coming from Jersey and New York, we're used to a lot of traffic, so this is almost normal, but we didn't want it on vacation," Dorothy Kida said.
Meanwhile, Candace Swoboday said she had to make a pit stop at a gas station because her tank was nearly empty after being stalled in traffic for so long.
"Literally if I didn't get off, I would have been out of gas and been stranded on the side of the road," she said.
Some drivers opted to wait it out on I-4, inching along until they were able to get past the burned truck and start moving again. Others looked for alternatives to get home.
"I left work in Tampa at about 6:30 and usually it takes me about 35 minutes to get home, and I'm still a good 20 minutes from home," driver Sara Brown said.
The trailer's load is considered a total loss. No one was injured in the fire.