Industrial Area Truck Fire

News Release: September 17, 2014

Quick action by a truck operator resulted in a safe escape when the truck he was operating caught fire yesterday at 11095 SW Industrial Way at Specialized Pavement Marking, Inc., in Tualatin. At 3:39 pm, the first call came into 9-1-1 reporting a truck on fire near a shed at the industrial park. Additional callers reported seeing flames and a heavy plume of black smoke coming from the truck. Initial reports indicated that there were propane tanks located near or on the truck so the incident was upgraded to a 1st alarm to bring additional resources as a precaution.

Crews arrived to find the truck fully involved with flame and were able to locate the reported propane tanks on the truck. The truck also carried a 150-gallon diesel fuel tank. They initiated an aggressive attack on the fire using their aerial ladder nozzle and a ground monitor to provide high-volume water to suppress the fire while also keeping the propane tanks cooled with water. During the incident, crews experienced challenges with low-pressure being provided by the site’s fire hydrants so water tenders were called to the scene to provide additional water support. Crews had the fire under control in 43 minutes with the additional precautions to cool the propane tanks and allow them to completely vent safely. No nearby structures were immediately threatened by the fire. Approximately 32-firefighters responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. Nearby businesses were temporarily disrupted but resumed after the fire was out.

A TVF&R investigator is working to determine the cause of the fire and damage estimates.