Family avoids injury in truck fire
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, November 5, 2003
A truck that had just been used to travel back from Tuscaloosa erupted into flames Wednesday evening in the back yard of a family’s home.
Chris Johnson, who was at her parents home after a trip to Tuscaloosa, said she heard a loud noise outside the house shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
That loud noise was the sound of Tommy McClain’s Ford truck bursting into a ball of fire that could be seen blocks away on E. Jefferson Street.
McClain, who could not be reached for comment, was not injured in the fire. When four members of the Demopolis Fire Department arrived, the truck was fully involved and only feet away from a propane tank in the back of the house.
Johnson called 911 immediately and Capt. Tommy Tate, along with three other members of the Demopolis Fire Department were able to put the fire out before it got out of control.
According to Capt. Vernon Waters, the engine of McClain’s truck was ruined and pending further investigation, Waters believes the cause of the truck fire was an electrical malfunction.
Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $14,000, said Demopolis Fire Chief George Davenport.