ROCKPORT — By the time Rockport firefighters arrived to a dump truck fire on Look Out Lane, flames were visible under the hood of the construction vehicle. But before they could get water on it, the fire had spread to the cab, turning the scene into a fully-involved vehicle fire. 

On one corner of Look Out, out of sight in the woods, a new house is under construction. Building materials lay beside the house and fresh gravel had been banked up high to make a parking area. Today, a construction driver was in the cab, having hauled to the scene a bed full of dirt. That driver was able to hop out of the truck when he noticed the smoke emanating from the hood.

In an uncommon stretch of warm October weather, temperatures had risen to nearly 80 degrees by 2:30 p.m. on the small dead-end road off of Old County Road, plaguing the small group of RFD members who pulled full turnout gear and self-containing breathing apparatus masks over regular office and other work attire. 

When the truck flames were extinguished, personnel turned to the trees and brush near the front of the cab. Other personnel tamped down chemical absorbance pads under the tailgate and in an area where the stream of hose water was making its escape. The solutions and chemicals that were indicated through the changing hues of the absorbent pads were oil, hydraulic fluid and diesel fuel. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection came to the scene and was starting to assist the company in the cleanup process. (The name of the construction company was not provided for this article, despite asking.) Cleanup will take a day, and the construction company is bringing in another truck and excavator to remove the truck’s fill before a wrecker can haul the vehicle away, according to Rockport Fire Chief Jason Peasley. 

Though the fire started in the engine compartment, the exact cause remains undetermined at this time.

The crew returned to the station to clean its gear, and, by 4:20 p.m., they were back in service.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com