PORT ANGELES — No one was injured when an excavator became engulfed in flames in the 1000 block of Key Road south of Port Angeles, according to Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue.
District personnel dispatched at 12:27 p.m. Monday arrived to find an excavator that had been used to clear property was engulfed in flames, according to a district press release. The operator escaped unharmed, firefighters said.
The excavator operator told fire district personnel he was moving slash debris into piles while conducting a land clearing burn and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment, the release said.
The man exited the excavator, opened the engine compartment and attempted to put out the fire, but it grew beyond his control.
The excavator was not near the active slash pile when it caught fire and had been operating normally just prior to the smoke being discovered, the release said. Firefighters said leaking diesel fuel and hydraulic fluid help spread the fire to the rest of the vehicle.
Firefighters were able to knock down the majority of the fire using hose lines and finished with a dry chemical extinguisher. The excavator was allowed time to cool to ensure there would be no re-flash of the fire and then firefighters cleared the scene.
No firefighters were injured.
Clallam 2 Fire-Rescue responded with two fire engines, two command vehicles and 12 career and volunteer firefighters.
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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@ peninsuladailynews.com.
