salsalady
eXtreme Business
Well this was not how we planned on spending the day when we got up this mornining, but as life happens, that's how things go. And right off the bat, we are all OK, just the truck was lost. It was an old truck, but still worth a couple bucks.
Evan tinkered around with an '84 Ford truck that'd been sitting in the yard for 2 years. Plan was to get it running, sell it, and split the money.
We loaded it up with 4 plastic trash cans and a whole bunch more crap for the dump, headed up the back road and......
...started smelling something like hot plastic, then the gages blanked out, steering stopped, no brakes....dead in the road...and that's when the smoke started curling out from the engine compartment.
Oh $#IT! and then I could see a few flames in the engine compartment.
This truck had not been on the road for 2+ years, so it didn't have any supplies.
Old man riding a lawn mower right next to the road, Evan and I are running at him yelling "HELP! DO YOU HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER?" He called his daughter up at the house. She and another neighbor caming running with extingushers but we couldn't get the hood up.
Called 911 at about 10:07am and moved back-
10:12- flaming blobs dripping out of the engine compartment, moving into the cab
10:21 getting pretty hot
And BOOM goes the gas tank
I think all of our carbon footprints have been used up for the next 5 years
crews on scene, getting ready to soak it- I'd called John and he was coming over, watching the black tower of smoke, and then he saw white smoke/steam and knew the fire crews were on scene. Another neighbor had been driving up valley on the other side of the river and could see the vehicle and smoke.
I Spy With My Little Eye...an ALTERNATOR!
Think it'll buff out?
That 35 minutes added about 16% more grey hairs than I already had. Neighbors helped, people helped with traffic. Man, what a mess. Thankfully we are fine, just wish I hadn't grabbed the mail (aka bills) out of the truck. Maybe they would of just... gone away?
OK, maybe not~
Evan didn't have his fire gear so he couldn't help with the fire equipment, but his training was definitely helpful with composure, traffic, guiding the tow truck in. He's a rock.
I'm pretty sure it was an electrical short. The truck had been sitting, prolly had mice or rats chewing on the wires, something sparked and off it went.
Evan tinkered around with an '84 Ford truck that'd been sitting in the yard for 2 years. Plan was to get it running, sell it, and split the money.
We loaded it up with 4 plastic trash cans and a whole bunch more crap for the dump, headed up the back road and......
...started smelling something like hot plastic, then the gages blanked out, steering stopped, no brakes....dead in the road...and that's when the smoke started curling out from the engine compartment.
Oh $#IT! and then I could see a few flames in the engine compartment.
This truck had not been on the road for 2+ years, so it didn't have any supplies.
Old man riding a lawn mower right next to the road, Evan and I are running at him yelling "HELP! DO YOU HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER?" He called his daughter up at the house. She and another neighbor caming running with extingushers but we couldn't get the hood up.
Called 911 at about 10:07am and moved back-
10:12- flaming blobs dripping out of the engine compartment, moving into the cab
10:21 getting pretty hot
And BOOM goes the gas tank
I think all of our carbon footprints have been used up for the next 5 years
crews on scene, getting ready to soak it- I'd called John and he was coming over, watching the black tower of smoke, and then he saw white smoke/steam and knew the fire crews were on scene. Another neighbor had been driving up valley on the other side of the river and could see the vehicle and smoke.
I Spy With My Little Eye...an ALTERNATOR!
Think it'll buff out?
That 35 minutes added about 16% more grey hairs than I already had. Neighbors helped, people helped with traffic. Man, what a mess. Thankfully we are fine, just wish I hadn't grabbed the mail (aka bills) out of the truck. Maybe they would of just... gone away?
OK, maybe not~
Evan didn't have his fire gear so he couldn't help with the fire equipment, but his training was definitely helpful with composure, traffic, guiding the tow truck in. He's a rock.
I'm pretty sure it was an electrical short. The truck had been sitting, prolly had mice or rats chewing on the wires, something sparked and off it went.
It's not even their vehicle! Whatever~ 
