Highway fire blamed on brakes
A brake malfunction was the result of weekend trailer fire along the Trans Canada Highway.
On Sunday night, the Woodstock Fire Department responded to a tractor trailer on fire in the westbound lanes of the four-lane highway, near the Dugan Road exit.
Chief Ricky Nicholson said, when he arrived on scene, he found the trailer section, which was loaded with tries, fully engulfed. The Armour Transportation driver managed to unhook the truck, Nicholson said, but the trailer was completely destroyed.
Nicholson said Woodstock received mutual aid from the Debec Fire Department. Crews had to apply lots of water and foam to get the blaze under control, he added, as heavy black smoke wafted into the night sky for hours. The tires were removed and suppressed as well.
The Woodstock chief said firefighters were covered in black soot.
Chief Nicholson said the Department of Environment was on scene to ensure there was no environmental hazard due to the water runoff.
"But there is nothing there to cause any concern in the water," he said.
The cause of the blaze was a malfunction in the trailer's braking system.
"A wheel bearing goes in your car, it heats up and causes friction," said Nicholson. "With enough heat, it becomes combustible."
This is the third tractor-trailer fire this year along the highway due to a trailer's braking system.
Earlier this year, a transport loaded with hams burst into flames in the east-bound lanes, east of the Dugan Road. The driver also managed to get the rig unhooked from the burning trailer.
Two weeks later in February, another tractor trailer caught fire in Jacksonville at the Lockhart Mill Road exit ramp. The driver was able to pull the truck off the highway onto the exit ramp.
At the time, Chief Nicholson blamed both fires on a malfunction with the trailers' rear tires, noting wear and tear finally took its toll on the wheel bearings by seizing up, causing spontaneous combustion.
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