Sunday, June 30, 2013

Busy Afternoon for Pinion Pine Firefighters

Pinion Pine firefighters had a busy day June 29, 2013 beginning around 2 pm. At 1:57 pm, the first alarm in a series of 6 major incidents was received for a brush fire on Interstate 40 near mile marker 94 which brought the response of Brush 526 and Chief 501. While in route, Chief 501 spotted a second fire along Interstate 40 near the Willow Creek off ramp (Exit 87) and requested the response of Engine 523. Units arrived at both locations and suppressed the fires, holding them to a tenth of an acre.

Shortly after the units returned to quarters, at 5 pm, Chief 501 and Engine 523 were dispatched to the area of mile marker 71 on Interstate 40 for yet another brush fire. Crews were met by a homeowner who led them to the fire which was approximately 1 mile north of the Highway 93 junction. Crews arrived on scene to find a power pole that had been struck by lightning and sparked a quarter acre brush fire. Firefighters secured the scene and waited for the electric company to arrive and disconnect the power from the live pole.  Crews remained on scene for roughly one hour while mop up was completed. During this time, Engine 516 and Engine 526 received an alarm for a reported brush fire on Interstate 40 near D W Ranch Rd (exit 59) but were unable to locate a fire.

Crews wait for the arrival of the power company

While returning to quarters, Engine 523 received yet another alarm for a reported brush fire 4-5 miles south of Interstate 40 near mile marker 95. Once in the area, the crew noticed some smoke 10 miles south of the Interstate. Engine 523 made access at Jolly Rd (exit 102) and began working their way to the fire when further updates were received that a local rancher in the area was conducting a controlled burn. Engine 523 was canceled by State Fire and cleared the scene.

Once again, while Engine 523 was returning to quarters, E511, Chief 501 and Engine 523 received an alarm at 10 pm for a tractor trailer with smoke coming from the motor compartment and trailer brakes at the Loves Truck Stop near the fuel island. Chief 501 and Engine 511 arrived on scene to find that the vehicle had already been extinguished by store personnel. An attack line was pulled and the vehicle was further cooled off. Engine 511 crew used a thermal imaging camera to thoroughly check the vehicle for any additional heat. Units were on scene for 30 minutes and minimal damage was done to the tractor trailer.

Article and Photo By Lt. Ron Hood

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