The crew at a Lumby wood lot is being praised for dousing a potentially dangerous situation Monday.
A fire broke out in a 1995 Caterpillar 325 butt-n-top log loader Monday shortly before 12:30 p.m. at the Gudeit Bros. Contracting yard on Shuswap Avenue.
The operator of the machine managed to escape without injury and thanks to the quick actions of staff on scene, the fire was kept from spreading to surrounding wood piles.
“There was a lot of flames when we got here,” said Lumby Fire Department chief Tony Clayton.
“We’ve gotta give kudos to the Gudeit crew for containing that.”
With the fire department literally next door, fire crews were on scene and had the fire out within minutes.
The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental due to mechanical malfunction, and damage is estimated at a minimum $40,000.
“It’s not in running condition at this time,” said fire investigator Dean Wakefield. “The hydraulics and electrical systems were heavily damaged by fire.”
Wakefield also credits Gudeit staff for containing the situation from further damage.
“Without those guys bringing it into action it could’ve been a lot worse.”
