A semi-tractor caught fire in French Lake Township last week, and the fire nearly spread to a house.
The fire at 14012 55th St. NW, at the intersection with Oliver Ave. NW, was reported by a passerby at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 2. No one was home at the time of the fire.
When fire trucks arrived, the semi-tractor was fully engulfed in flames, and thick, black smoke could be seen for some distance.
Making the fire more dangerous was its proximity to a house.
"We did a good knockdown right away, and there was a little wind to keep the flame from touching the house," Annandale Fire Chief Dale Machovsky said. The heat did melt a portion of the siding on the house.
"I’m just glad it didn’t hit the residence," Machovsky said, adding that they put out a quick mutual aid call for the South Haven Fire Department to assist with the blaze and provide additional manpower.
He said South Haven firefighters also used their thermal camera inside the house to make sure the fire did not extend into the structure.
It did spread to a nearby pickup, however, that belonged to Justin Jackson, the same person who owned the semi-tractor. The radiant heat started the tire and wheel well and part of the pickup on fire, and Machovsky said that was also totaled.
He said the cause of the fire was accidental. Initial indications are that an effort was being made to heat the engine block with a propane buddy heater, and random materials being used to block the wind caught fire, and spread to the semi-tractor.
According to Wright County tax records from 2016, the property is owned by Gary A. Lies.
It has been a busy end to 2017 and beginning to the new year for firefighters and emergency responders. The fire was the third call of the day for South Haven Fire Department, and the Annandale Fire Department responded to five calls over the weekend, Machovsky said.
Machovsky issued a word of caution to people who are using block warmers and battery chargers during cold-weather snaps such as the one the area experienced for a couple of weeks, saying that batteries often don’t trip off when they are fully heated, and battery malfunctions have been known to actually start fires.
"When in doubt, unplug," he said.
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