A semi truck towing multiple vehicles behind it went up in flames on I-25 in Thornton on the night of Dec. 12, 2012. (Photo: Trevor Kayl)

THORNTON, Colo. — A hauler semi truck towing multiple vehicles went up in a ball of flames Wednesday night, alarming passing drivers and closing I-25 briefly before emergency crews were able to extinguish the blaze.

DENVER — Flu season is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade–and experts say it could get really ugly this year.

The Centers for Disease Control says the main strain infecting people right now can make them sicker than other types.

But that’s not the case in Colorado.

For Judith Phillips, of Denver, a second of pain now, means preventing days of pain later.

“The longest I was sick was a week. I decided that was it. I got a flu shot and so far, knock on wood, I haven’t gotten sick yet,” says Phillips, about getting her seventh flu shot in seven years at Guardian Urgent Care at Broadway and Ellsworth Ave. in Denver.

Phillips heeds the warning about getting a flu shot because we’re entering what could be the worst flu season in years.

The winning Powerball numbers are 5, 23, 16, 22, 29, and the Powerball is 6, lottery officials said. The record-breaknig jackpot is an estimated $579 million.

The prize for last Saturday’s Powerball was $325 million — the fourth-largest in the game’s history. For the 15th consecutive time, no players matched the winning numbers.

The top prize now increases to an estimated $579 million, the largest in the history of the multi-state lottery game. The figure has risen in recent days as more people than expected bought tickets, said Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association.