A contractor escaped injury recently after his semi-truck caught fire at the Moose Jaw landfill, although his vehicle is a complete write-off.
The Moose Jaw Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire at the landfill at 8:14 a.m. on March 18. According to a news release, two trucks — including a fire pumper — and four firefighters arrived on scene at 8:21 a.m., and by 8:30 a.m. had brought the fire under control. Fire crews stayed around for another half hour to extinguish any hotspots before returning to the station at 9 a.m.
The contractor was carrying a load of asbestos to the landfill when his cab caught fire, explained Capt. Ryan Hopkinson. The driver of the semi noticed that his vehicle had caught fire and jumped out before calling 911.
“It was pretty basic. We had it knocked down in 10 minutes,” he remarked.
The semi-truck was fully involved when firefighters arrived and could not be salvaged, Hopkinson continued, noting he was unsure how the fire started.
Responding to vehicle fires is not something the fire department regularly does, he said. These events usually happen every couple of months.
If a vehicle catches fire, Hopkinson encouraged people to get out quickly and call 911.
