SEQUIM — This time, the fire came to the firefighters.
The driver of a commercial paper-shredding truck stopped at the Sequim Fire District No. 3 station at 323 N. Fifth Ave. on Tuesday to report that his truck was on fire.
Firefighters found a smoldering blaze in the 6,000 pounds of paper loaded in the truck, which was owned by Recall Americas of Kent, said Patrick Young, fire district spokesman.
A small amount of water was applied to the paper before the truck was moved to the district’s maintenance and training facility in Carlsborg to pull the paper out of the truck, Young said.
At the training facility at 255 Carlsborg Road, the truck was emptied, and six firefighters “climbed the small mountain of paper” to extinguish the blaze, Young said.
No injuries or damage to the truck was reported.
The shredded paper was left at the training grounds and will be mixed with composting materials, said Young, who added that none of the shredded paper had identifiable information.
Firefighters surmised that the most likely cause of the blaze was an unknown metal object sending sparks into the paper while it was being shredded, Young said.
