Hillsboro firefighters battled a fire in a tractor-trailer cab during a heat wave on Monday evening, Aug. 21. No injuries were reported, Hillsboro Fire Chief Brian Gaudet said.
He said the Hillsboro Fire Protection District received a call at approximately 7:45 p.m. about the burning big rig stopped near the 5900 block of Reynolds Creek Road close to its intersection with Hwy. B west of Hillsboro.
“The first pumper arrived to see the cab fully involved,” Gaudet said. “They put a hose on it and put out the fire. A tanker was called to the scene for extra water due to the size of the vehicle. Crews had the fire under control in about 10 minutes. Responders remained on scene for about two hours.”
Gaudet said the temperature, which was near 100, made it more difficult to fight the fire.
He said the tractor-trailer was severely damaged.
“The cab was a total loss,” he said. “We had to use absorbent booms to plug a large hole in the fuel tank to prevent it from leaking when it was towed.”
Gaudet said he did not have any other information about the driver, and he didn’t know what caused the fire.
“The cause is under investigation and will likely be determined by insurance,” Gaudet said. “We believe it to be something electrical.”