Fuel transfer causes truck fire

A truck was engulfed in flames on Walden Crescent this weekend.

The truck owner transferred fuel into his vehicle on Saturday when something ignited the gasoline flames, said fire investigator Les David Mroz. The fuel container caught on fire and then the truck was burning.

The owner suffered burns and was transported to the hospital by ambulance, while fire crews put out his burning truck. “He was just attempting to transfer fuel and then there was an ignition source and then he had a fire and the fumes caught on fire,” said Mroz.

It was the second vehicle fire in St. Albert that week, after another truck went up in flames on Akins Drive in the early morning of March 5. Later that afternoon, a dumpster fire was reported on the same street.

Fire crews expect no connection between the incidents. All three fires are still under investigation. But it just seemed to be “an unlucky week,” said Mroz.

The dumpster fire on Akins Drive was discovered by a resident sometime after 3 p.m. on Thursday. The resident kept the fire at bay with an extinguisher until fire crews arrived at the scene.

The truck fire took place around 7:15 a.m. that morning. The truck was parked on the side of the street near Elmer S. Gish school when it caught on fire. “We are still looking for a specific cause on that but there’s nothing suspicious about that,” he said.

Fire crews were also on scene Friday to clean up a large fuel spill accidentally caused by a homeowner. The spill happened at Glen Meadow Crescent while the homeowner refuelled his pickup truck using a portable Tidy Tank gas tank. More than 100 litres spilled out.

Mroz said transferring fuel could be dangerous because gasoline gives off flammable vapours. All it needs is an ignition source, such as cigarettes, a battery spark or static electricity.

As temperatures increase, more vapour is created than in colder weather. With the right combination of fuel and air, these fumes are “more explosive than dynamite,” he said.

That’s why gas stations warn people not to use cigarettes or electronics, such as cellphones, around the pumps. Jerry cans should be fuelled on the ground to avoid static electricity creating sparks. Larger trucks will also ground their vehicles before fuelling.

Small engines, such as lawnmowers, should never be fuelled while hot, he added. And homeowners should not tamper with gasoline in their garages or basements and avoid hot surfaces.

“With gasoline, you just have to be really careful,” he said. “For the most part it’s very safe but you want to make sure that any ignition sources are turned off.”