LIBERTY — The driver of a big rig truck is uninjured, having vacated when smoke and flames began, but the scene at the intersection of Routes 220 and 105 in Liberty, Friday afternoon, would become tense through at least one brief duration of time.

“There were 10 minutes of heavy fire, a lot of explosions,” said Liberty Fire Chief Bill Gillespie.

Liberty firefighters happened to be on another call just down the street when they were alerted at 1:09 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, of the truck fire. Yet, because that other call was a lift assist only, firefighters didn’t have their fire gear with them.

While the crew headed to the station for apparatus, Chief Gillespie went direct to the intersection, encountering a cab on fire with heavy black smoke. The scene quickly escalated from there, he said, at which point, he requested mutual aid from Washington FD. Montville and Appleton fire crews were put on standby.

Parts that make up the motor made noise as they burned. Fire made contact with the two fuel tanks, impacting approximately 100 gallons of fuel. Flames then found the tires, creating a reaction that caused the tires to jump from the axles – pushing approximately 8 – 10 tires onto the pavement. Next, the trailer caught fire. And with diesel floating down the road, flames gave chase, burning pavement in a stream that flowed down the road. As well, the truck, having been traveling southbound, had come to a stop next to grass and forestry.

On top of it all, Gillespie was in plain clothes, and other drivers, coming from three different directions, weren’t interested in following his orders as he tried to shut down the area.

Eventually, Liberty and Washington began to take control of the flames. They were able to extinguish the fire using solely the water supply in their trucks, approximately 6,000 gallons.

Once done with their own assessments and photo-taking for insurance, employees from the big rig’s company, Hagar Enterprises, helped with traffic control. A neighbor came along and offered drinking water.

A deputy from the Waldo County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene. However, since the vehicle involved was a commercial truck, State Police also came to the scene and took the lead for the law enforcement side of the incident.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com