Crime & Safety

Passing Motorist Alerted Driver to Flames in Towed Trailer

A Tuesday morning equipment trailer fire left behind a charred shell and an abundance of destroyed equipment.

A passing motorist Tuesday morning alerted the driver of pickup truck that the trailer he was towing was on fire.

Now, just a charred shell remains of that trailer, but no one was hurt in the blaze.

According to Wayland Fire Deputy Chief David Houghton, the pickup's driver pulled into the parking lot at Especially for Pets at 44 Main St. in Cochituate after being alerted to the fire, which appears to have started near the front of the trailer. He then opened the doors of the enclosed trailer, which allowed oxygen to feed the flames.

By the time two fire crews and a supervisor arrived, the trailer, owned by a Rhode Island roofing company, was fully engulfed.

Houghton said the crews worked quickly to extinguish the flames using about 500 gallons of water from a fire department tank truck. All the while, Houghton said, crews were aware and being careful of solvents, adhesives and other chemicals stored in the equipment trailer.

"Because of the contents of the trailer, we had to be sure that what we were putting on it could be fully contained,” Houghton said. "We were able to extinguish it relatively quickly and safely."

Another 700 gallons of water and additional flame-retardant foam were used to overhaul the trailer and its contents, ensuring all the flames were fully extinguished before the trailer was towed away.

Houghton's preliminary estimate of the damage is in the $35,000 to $40,000 range. He explained that the trailer, the equipment it contained, as well as the tailgate of the pickup truck sustained damage.

The fire, Houghton said, was accidental, but an exact cause is not yet known.

According to a Wayland Fire Department press release, multiple 911 callers reported a trailer on fire outside Especially for Pets in Cochituate around 10:32 a.m. 

Wayland resident Jon Saxton was on Route 27 on his way to Donelan's when fire and rescue vehicles sped past him. He told Patch that he saw smoke rising when he reached the intersection of Route 27 and West Plain Street, about one-third of a mile from the scene of the fire.

Saxton arrived at Donelan's and walked across the street in time to see firefighters pulling "smoking materials out of the back of the burned-out trailer."

For more photos from the scene, check out the Wayland Police Department page on Facebook.


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