Midway fire dept. investigating truck fire on Hwy. 33

Midway Fire and Rescue is investigating a fire that damaged a fuel truck near Beaverdell Thursday, Aug. 26.

Fire Chief Mike Daloise said the truck was heading north on Highway 33 when the exterior of the cab caught fire sometime before 4:45 p.m. The driver and a passing motorist then put out the flames using a dry chemical extinguisher and a backpack water pump.

The fire appears to have started in a hydraulic pump used to offload the fuel, Daloise said, adding that he was still looking into the exact cause as of Friday afternoon.

The incident happened in a communications “dead zone” on the highway between Westbridge and Beaverdell, where he noted there is zero cellphone coverage or two-way radio reception.

This makes it difficult to coordinate emergency responses, especially because motorists have to drive to either end of the zone before they can reach 911, while first responders can’t reach each other through their radio channels.

No one was hurt in Thursday’s fire, and the truck came through largely unscathed. But Daloise noted that the fire happened in a heavily wooded area.

“This would’ve caused a much bigger problem had that fire been much bigger,” he stressed, underlining that the truck was carrying highly flammable fuel.

Midway RCMP also attended Thursday’s scene, Daloise said.

@ltritsch1 laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.