| Box 8-3. Engine 81, Brush 85, Paramedic 89 and Engine 101 (New Windsor) were dispatched at 0858 hrs for a field sprayer on fire in a field near 1180 Clearview Road. As Engine 81 and Chief 8-1 (Cartwright) responded, they were advised that the field sprayer was in contact with overhead electric wires and that the vehicle was burning with no one trapped. While enroute, Alleghany Power was notified and gave a 45 minute to 1 hour ETA.
Engine 81 arrived and advised they had a working farm vehicle fire in the middle of the field. One of the sprayer arms was still touching an energized overhead power line and at that moment, only the tires appeared to be on fire. Another immediate danger concerned the contents of the sprayer tank and the fuel tank, neither of which were burning on arrival. The initial handline was pulled, but not used, until Alleghany Power could arrive to de-energize the wires.
In the meantime, the driver of the vehicle advised that he was spraying a non-flammable product as far as he knew. However, after initially trying to locate the name of the chemical in the North American Emergency Response Guide (NAERG), it was decided to be on the safe side by beginning to evacuate near-by homes and moving apparatus as well. Chief 8-1 arrived at 0912 hrs and established "Clearview Road Command". Haz-Mat 30 (New Windsor) was requested since on scene units were not sure of the exact nature of the chemical and due to the large 75 gallon tank of diesel fuel. Additionally, Engine/Tanker 82 was requested for water, since by this time, the fire had completely engulfed the entire vehicle. Engine/Tanker 54 (Taneytown) was also dispatched to the opposite side of the incident to supply Engine 81.
Alleghany Power arrived at about 0935 hrs and quickly cut power to the wires. Engine 81's crew aggressively attacked the fire and Engine 101's crew pulled a second line to fight fire on the opposite side of the vehicle. As the fire was knocked down, AFFF foam was added to Engine 101's hose line. The fuel tank had completely burned off, as well as most of the fuel, but the chemical storage tank only received burns to the exterior of the tank.
After Haz-Mat 30 and HM 4 arrived, it was confirmed that the chemical was not flammable and notification was made to the Maryland Department of the Environment due to the possible contamination of soil by the fuel. The vehicle was a complete loss. "Clearview Road Command" terminated at 1026 hrs and all other units were clear of the scene by 1040 hrs.
Thanks to Frederick County Station 17 for transferring an Engine to cover the Union Bridge Area.
If anyone has additional pictures of the incident, please send to co8@ubfc8.org for posting to this story. |
