Excitement on the road

June 20, 2007 | In Random | No Comments

I don’t often talk about my job on here, mostly because there could be a conflict of interest in what I write one place and another. Keep that in mind when you’re reading this blog. However today I got a chance to see something I don’t always get to.

At around 3 p.m. the police scanner in the news room chimed in with a call for help at a fire along Highway 23. A truck hauling hay going north towards Granite Falls had caught fire. With camera in hand I rushed to the scene (obeying all laws of speed and respect for emergency vehicles).

As I approached the scene I could see smoke bellowing from miles away. I knew I was getting close. I got to the point where police were redirecting traffic along another road to avoid the scene. Knowing where I should or should not go, I decided to park along side the road and just hike the rest of the way, it didn’t seem far.

As I started me trek, I noticed it was a lot farther than I had originally estimated. After walking for a little over a mile in the 90 degree heat wearing jeans and a polo, I finally reached the scene of the fire. I’ve been to a number of similar scenes, so that isn’t the interesting part. This is however the first time I’ve seen a truck melt.

I won’t get into any more details, you can see the pictures in tomorrow’s edition of the Independent. I’ll also try to post photos I took at the scene some time tomorrow or later this week.