By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
Dexter, Mo. – Smoke on the highway is being blamed for a major Labor Day accident in southeast Missouri that involved nearly 20 vehicles and left 33 people hurt.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a large brush fire along Highway 60 near Dexter Monday created smoke so thick that drivers couldn't see.
The result was a chain-reaction wreck just before noon that involved 18 vehicles.
Four people suffered serious injuries. Two were hospitalized in Cape Girardeau, Mo., one in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and one in Memphis.
Highway 60 was closed for more than six hours after the wreck.