Continuing Investigation of Truck on Fire

Near Despot on July 8^th, a pickup truck was struck by a falling tree. The tree had been knocked over thanks to heavy winds from the severe storms in the area. The truck immediately became a fire ball, and was gutted by flames. A suspected nearly $30,000 in damage was done to the vehicle and area.

Officials are currently investigating the scene, trying to determine if it was the tree or another factor that caused the truck to burst into flames. It was a 2011 Dodge Ram 4X4 truck that caught fire, on the 700 block of Rock Run Road near Despot Maryland. The state fire Marshall has a pending investigation.

It was the owners of the vehicle who called 911 at about 10:30 pm on the night of the accident. Corine D. Bannon and Dustin J. Adams called in after seeing the fire overtaking the truck. Right before the fire a heavy 25foot branch from the tree had struck the top of the pickup truck, leading investigators to believe that it might have caused the fire. The branch was of a decent size and fell because of heavy winds caused by the storms. It is quite possible that it caused the fire just minutes after it fell on the top of the truck. However, other options are also being explored.

Investigators agree that the tree appears to be the reason for the blaze, but that other possibilities need to be looked into. Less obvious reasons could be at fault for the fire in the truck. Many things need to be explored in the charred and gutted truck including its electrical system and dashboard. Possible recalls also need to be explored for that make and model, because a recalled part could be the reason for the blaze. The investigation is now acting as if the branch was purely a coincidence and that the fire was completely separate from the accident.

The fire took about 15 minutes to put out and nearly 17 fire fighters. The company that responded was the Water Which Volunteer Fire Company. An estimated $30,000 in damage to the truck was done (the vehicle was completely totaled) and nearly $1,000 in personal belongings was destroyed as well. The cause is still under investigation; however, officials have now stated that they believe the intense fire started on the passenger’s side of the vehicle.