PORT ANGELES — A tire that exploded on a log truck that was engulfed in flames shortly after midnight Monday helped warn the occupants of a house a few feet away that they were in danger.
Two adult males and an adult female fled the house at 152 Cedar Park Drive, and the fire subsequently was extinguished by units from Clallam Fire Districts Nos. 2 and 3, Dan Huff, Fire District No. 2 assistant chief, said Monday.
The units were dispatched at 12:48 a.m. Monday, put out the blaze in about five minutes and cleared the scene at 1:45 a.m., Huff said.
The 2000 J.R. Pritchard Co. Inc. Peterbilt log truck, valued at $50,000 to $75,000, was destroyed, Huff said.
An apparent electrical fire began in the engine compartment around midnight, at first burning without neighbors or the owner of the truck noticing the flames.
The truck was parked in a side driveway fewer than 10 feet from the owners’ home.
“Nobody knew what was going on until a tire exploded and woke the neighbors up,” Huff said.
“We had them evacuate the house because we were concerned it would spread before we got there.
“At that time in the morning, everybody was sleeping.
“It would have taken somebody being awake or that particular tire exploding to alert somebody.”
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Department is not investigating the fire at this time, Undersheriff Ron Peregrin said Monday.
