Fire in road department building destroys dump truck

PORT ANGELES — Fire destroyed a Clallam County-owned dump truck Monday evening inside a locked garage at the county public works yard at 1033 W. Lauridsen Blvd.

Cause of the fire is still under investigation, said Port Angeles Fire Chief Dan McKeen, who said the smoky blaze started in or around the truck.

McKeen estimated damage from the fire between $200,000 and $250,000.

No one was injured.

Several other vehicles were in the six-door corrugated metal structure, including three other dump trucks, road construction equipment and a street sweeper.

The structure sustained smoke and heat damage and will have to be inspected, McKeen said.

“When metal gets hot, it loses its strength,” he said.

Although the fire practically melted the cab of the 1998 Kenworth 10-yard dump truck, the trucks parked beside it did not show extensive damage.

“It could have been worse,” said Fire Marshal Ken Dubuc.

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