Northwest Iowa — Two semi-truck fires were reported in two days recently in Sioux County.
The first one involved a semi that was damaged in a fire on Monday, June 1, 2020, near Hospers.
According to Hospers Fire Chief Jason Overmole, about 11:00 a.m., the Hospers Fire Department was called to the report of a truck on fire just west of Hospers on B40.
The chief says the fire department saw fire in the trailer’s refrigeration unit as they approached the scene. He says they used water to fight the fire.
According to the chief, the driver had just left the shop in Hospers and was headed down the road and turned on the refrigeration unit. He says soon after that, he began to see smoke, so he pulled over. When he saw flames, he unhooked the trailer from the truck tractor and began to attempt to extinguish the fire with an extinguisher. He tells us that firefighters finished the job with water from their truck.
Overmole says no injuries were reported.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be a malfunction in the refrigeration unit.
Chief Overmole reports that the refrigeration unit was damaged and the inside of the trailer had some heat damage. He says the trailer was empty at the time. According to Overmole, the truck tractor also sustained some melted plastic.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about a half an hour.
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A semi-truck was also damaged in a fire on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, near Hull.
According to Hull Fire Chief Greg Van Roekel, about 2:30 p.m., the Hull Fire Department was called to the report of a semi on fire at 350th Street and Hickory Avenue, three miles south of Hull.
The chief says the fire department saw a couple of tires on fire as they approached the scene. He says they used water and foam to fight the fire.
Van Roekel says no injuries were reported.
He says the cause of the fire appeared to be mechanical in nature.
Chief Van Roekel reports that along with the tires, which were destroyed, the tractor and trailer also sustained some damage.
He says the firefighters who responded were on the scene for about a half an hour.
