MAXATAWNY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -

For at least the second time in less than three weeks, a car carrier fire has claimed a truckload of used-car inventory, this time multiple high-end models.

At approximately 1:40 a.m. on Tuesday, the rig caught fire on the Kutztown Bypass in Maxatawny Township, Pa., according to Officer Darren Simmers of the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police Department, who investigated the incident.

Simmers told Auto Remarketing that the rig, carrying several Mercedes-Benz and BMW vehicles, was en route from New York to an auto auction in Manheim, Lancaster County (Pa.) when the fire broke out. It destroyed at least seven cars and the trailer, and closed a section of the bypass for four hours.

Simmers said the driver, Eddie Hernandez of Haverstraw, N.Y., was unharmed and able to drive away in the cab of his truck once the investigation was complete.

Hernandez first noticed smoke coming from the left rear axle of the rig, Simmers said, which quickly developed into flames. Hernandez pulled over and attempted to quelch the fire with a fire extinguisher, but it spread to the cargo area.

When Kutztown Fire Company personnel arrived, the rig was engulfed. It was towed from the scene around 6 a.m., and the road was reopened after an inspection by PennDOT personnel.

Simmers surmised that the cause of the fire could have been a brake line or other mechanical issue, but thus far the official cause is undetermined.

On Sept. 14, Auto Remarketing reported on a hauler filled with nine used vehicles that exploded in Miami.

Again, the driver was uninjured but all nine vehicles were lost. The fire was believed to be accidental, with initial assessments pointing to the truck’s wheels locking up and sparking the fire.