SUMMARY: No injuries reported, fire started in engine compartment
The owner of a semi that caught fire near the intersection of state Route 39 and state Route 83 in Millersburg escaped the flames unharmed.
Michael Tuck said he heard a loud pop from the engine in his 1999 Volvo and got out of the cab minutes before fire shot out from under the hood and burned into the semis cab. The engine had recently been rebuilt, Tuck said, and thinks the fire may have started in the turbocharger.
I think the turbo failed, blew diesel on the manifold, Tuck said. Ive seen it before on other trucks and thats what did it. Whatever it was burned the hood latch, I couldnt get at the fire, Tuck said.
Fire District One Assistant Chief Kyle Yoder said Tuck probably could have got the fire out if the hood was opened. The fire was paged out at about 4:45 p.m. and contained in about five minutes, Yoder said.
Tuck used a fire extinguisher from his own truck and two from a nearby business. The fire damaged the interior of the cab, melting the dash and steering wheel after popping the windshield.
Verle Miller was at the intersection when he saw flames in his rear-view mirror. He circled the block and the fire was up over the cab, Miller said.
I see these little flames underneath, Miller said. It took me maybe a minute, maybe less to circle and come back around and it was engulfed in flames.
The truck was towed away and saturated with foam to ensure the fire did not flare up again, Yoder said.
The fire slowed traffic at the intersection for about 45 minutes until the semi was hauled away.
