Hay Fire at Claylick Rd and Hwy 47N
You may have noticed the burnt spot on the road at the intersection of Claylick Rd and Hwy 47N. Claylick Fire Dept responded on June 8, 2009 at 12:21 to 16 ft bumper pull trailer loaded with last year’s square bails on fire. The driver noticed a small flame over the forward driver side axle while waiting to pull out onto Hwy 47. The Fire Department suspects the cause of the fire to be friction related, either from the brakes or a tire rubbing the fender well of the trailer. Once the driver noticed the flame, he quickly put the vehicle in park and began to unhook from the trailer. Witnesses said the the man barely had time to unhook before the tow vehicle would have been affected. According to witnesses, the fire grew rapidly and consumed the whole load in under 4 minutes. FF/EMT-IV Cato was the first to arrive on the scene in his personal vehicle. Asst. Chief Bryant, FF Sullivan, and FF/FR A.Woodard responded in 381, our first-out engine. WBFD was requested for mutual aid. The fire was quickly brought under control, but the damage to the roadway had already taken place. The fire was so hot that it melted the 16 ft trailer and melted the asphalt. Hwy 47 Lumber Co sent a loader to the scene to assist in quickly reopening the road. Bryant & Bryant Construction sent a trailer to haul off the melted frame. TDOT did the final clean up of the roadway, hauling 3 loads of burnt hay from the site. We would like to thank WBFD, DCRS, Bryant & Bryant, Hwy 47 Lumber, DCSO, and TDOT for their assistance in the quick handling of the incident.
