News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

One of two trucks parked at the access road to Tolko Industries Ltd. in Williams Lake around 11:00pm last night caught fire while waiting for morning to be loaded with lumber. Both drivers were asleep when the engine compartment of one of the trucks caught fire, and two fire extinguishers were used on the blaze before the fire department was called.

“The driver did all the right things,” said Assistant Training Officer Rob Warnock with the Williams Lake Fire Department. “He attempted to knock down the blaze, but when he realized it was too big, he called us.”

He explained that they usually have a rough idea of what to expect when they attend a fire, but that details can be surprising. “We got ‘truck on fire’ and the location, but didn’t know it was a semi until we got there,” he said. “The driver was outside and that was good.”

Fire fighters arrived from the fire hall almost across the highway, knocked down the fire quickly and overhauled the truck. “We went through it and disconnected the battery and took everything out of the sleeper,” he said.

“The driver told us that he was wakened from a sleep by a noise, got dressed and got out and found the fire,” he stated. The driver had just fueled up in Quesnel and had nearly-full tanks, but Rob explained that the fire was located higher than the tanks.

He said that when they arrive on scene before the fire crews, they do a ‘360’ of the fire, get information from the owner if possible, and come up with an action plan.

“I believe the two drivers had driven down from Prince George and were heading back after loading up,” he noted. “That fire was the closest to the fire hall we’ve had in quite a while.”

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