Pocatello florists should be able to avoid a Saint Valentine's Day disaster this Friday, even though thousands of flowers aboard a truck headed to eastern Idaho were destroyed when they caught fire on Interstate 84 early Monday.
That's because managers at Boise-based DWF Wholesale Florists say they will send out more trucks and possibly even fly flowers to Pocatello to replace the flowers lost in the fire Monday morning.
"All of our customers are very understanding. We'll make sure everyone gets their flowers," DWF manager Dawn Huntsman said Monday, admitting she wasn't having her best day.
"The whole load was lost - roses, carns (carnations), you name it," Huntsman said while declining to estimate a loss figure. "This was the first time this has ever happened, and hopefully it's the last."
Idaho State Police investigators estimated a loss of at least $50,000 Monday after the truck caught fire at 7:44 a.m. around milepost 64 on I-84 near Mountain Home.
The truck was still driveable after the fire and the majority of the damage was to the payload, Lt. Brian Zimmerman said.
One eastbound lane of I-84 was closed for about 30 minutes to allow crews to put out the fire. The driver of the truck was not hurt.
Emergency crews who extinguished the blaze said they suspected the cooling unit in the back of the truck was faulty and may have caused the fire, Zimmerman said.
Fresh flowers are essential for Valentine's Day, which is the floral industry's busiest day of the year.
Customers buy 36 percent of their fresh flowers and provide 40 percent of dollars spent for the year on flowers for the holiday, according to the Society of American Florists.
The truck that burned was full of bundled flowers - which retail florists in the Pocatello area need to mix and match to create those ubiquitous and expensive flower bouquets that are a Valentine's Day staple.
Patrick Orr: 373-6619
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