Firefighters in Tennessee had to respond to an unexpectedly early Fourth of July scene after a truck caught fire on a major highway and its load of fireworks went off, triggering a spectacular display.

Video of the scene on Interstate 75 in the community of Ooltewah showed a huge cloud of sparks and rockets emerging from a trailer that the truck was hauling, as a stunned crowd watched from an overpass.

The Tri-Community volunteer fire department said in a statement: “The trailer was full of fireworks, all of which became involved in the fire and exploded during the incident.”

The group added in a Facebook video that the devices “were going off in different directions, endangering drivers” but that no one was injured in the incident, which halted traffic but was quickly brought under control by first responders.

It is not known precisely where the truck was heading or how it caught fire.

In March, 40,000lbs of extra-firm tofu was spilled in an accident near a small town in Missouri, and last year firefighters also had to respond to a crash in which a truck carrying a huge load of ribeye steaks burst into flames.