A late-night call kept firefighters from their beds after a semi trailer hauling wood chips caught fire in the St. Walburg area.
According to the St. Walburg Fire Department, crews were dispatched around 9:30 p.m. to a report of a semi and trailer fire.
Ten firefighters responded to the call.
In a Facebook post describing the incident, the department noted that members who had been “eyeing up their beds quickly changed gears and raced off to help.”
The situation involved a wood chip hauling trailer that had developed what firefighters described as an “unintended wiener roast” in the rear portion of the trailer, caused by a mechanical issue.
Before emergency crews arrived, the driver attempted to put the fire out using a fire extinguisher and even snow. However, the trailer tires continued to burn and the fire spread within the load of wood chips.
The driver ultimately detached the truck from the trailer to prevent further damage and called for assistance.
Firefighters arrived on scene and assessed the situation before determining they needed heavy equipment to properly extinguish the fire.
A backhoe from Hardy Services was brought in to help pull the wood chips out of the trailer so firefighters could reach and extinguish the remaining hot spots buried inside the load.
“Upon scene size up we decided to get a backhoe from Hardy services to assist with pulling the chips out so we could snuff the remaining smouldering chips out,” the department said.
The department also thanked Hardy Services and Merit Towing for responding quickly to assist with the incident and help clear the scene.
“Thank you to Hardy’s and Merit Towing for the quick response to come help get things sorted and cleaned up,” the department said.
No injuries were reported.
The department also thanked its members for responding late in the evening to handle the incident.
“Thank you to our members for spending your evening giving back to the community.”
The fire was believed to be related to a mechanical issue within the trailer hauling the wood chips.
