A dumptruck fire was an unusual emergency last week near the roundabout at Old Highway 5 and Highway 382. Fortunately, no one was injured, confirmed Gilmer Fire and Rescue.
On Tuesday, a truck that hauls rollaway dumpsters suddenly caught fire in the southbound lane of Old 5 just past the roundabout. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, noted Deputy Fire Chief Jason Bryant.
“(The driver) had noticed some smoke coming from underneath and was trying to find a place to get off the road, but it just kept getting bigger and bigger so he had to stop where he was. We responded and found it fully involved,” Bryant added. “Once crews arrived on scene, they pulled lines and were able to extinguish the fire fairly easily. (There was) a fuel leak, which was contained as well.”
Al Cash, of the Gilmer Emergency Management Agency, and Ellijay firefighter Gene Hightower both happened to be driving in the vicinity of the truck when it caught fire. Both stopped and helped direct traffic before emergency crews arrived.
“I was following the truck south on Old 5 when it went through the new roundabout. Smoke was beginning to show behind the cab. It stopped in the southbound lane, and I could see flames under the truck. Within another couple of minutes, the cab became fully engulfed,” said Cash.
Bryant said part of Old 5 was shut down while the fire was being contained and for the cleanup that followed, but most of the roundabout remained open during the incident.
“(The road) was closed about two to three hours. Wreckers had to come in and get (the burned truck) up, which was not an easy project,” he added.