Tennessee truck fire ruined N95 masks, medical gowns

CARTHAGE, Tenn. (AP) – First responders say medical masks and protective surgical gowns were destroyed when a tractor-trailer caught fire on a highway in Tennessee. News outlets report first responders confirmed N95 respirator masks and special hospital gowns were in the shipment lost in the blaze Saturday in Smith County. Photos posted by news outlets showed the frame of the charred vehicle smoking, with dozens of boxes strewn along the road reportedly carrying the masks and gowns. The N95 mask filters out 95% of all airborne particles. Shortages have created high demand among medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

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