NORTH SHELBY – Firefighters extinguished a burning tractor trailer Friday morning before the fire could impact the trailer carrying liquid oxygen.

The fire at Highland Lake Drive and U.S. 280 eastbound, was contained to the front compartment of the vehicle, and the driver was uninjured, according to Grant Wilkinson with Cahaba Valley Fire Department.

CVFD firefighters responded to the scene at about 5:45 a.m., and all lanes of U.S. 280 from Alabama 41 to Eagle Point Drive were closed by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office during the incident.

The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes, and then U.S. 280 was reopened on a limited basis.

While not flammable itself, liquid oxygen supports combustion.

“Getting it extinguished was an extremely high priority,” Wilkinson said.

The highway was shut down several subsequent times Friday morning to allow for clean-up.

As of 11:20 a.m., the highway was completely reopened to traffic.