Man in burning truck drives to fire station

What's the best place to go when smoke starts to billow out from under the hood of your pickup truck? That's the question Craig Brown of Carlton faced yesterday. For Brown, the answer was easy, as he happened to be driving a few blocks away the McMinnville Fire Station when smoke started to fill his cab.

So, at about 7 a.m. yesterday morning, Brown cruised right up to the front of the station, where firefighter Marty Theurer was outside washing an ambulance. Theurer saw the smoke and rushed inside to notify other firefighters, said McMinnville Fire Marshal Eric McMullen.



When firefighters reached the truck and opened the hood, they found more than just smoke: Flames were licking around the engine. They quickly grabbed a hose and put out the flames. Firefighters were happy to be able to help Brown out without leaving the station grounds, McMullen said. "We were joking today about our new drive-up service," he said.

Fire investigators said the blaze was most likely caused by an electrical malfunction in the engine's fan. The truck, with an estimated value of about $3,500, is probably totalled, McMullen said.