June 9, 2016 – Because of the quick actions of a Kingman Auto Recycling driver heading northbound on U.S. Highway 93 at Mile Post 63, he was able to save his truck and the 20-yard-dump container he was hauling to the landfill on Mineral Park Road in Golden Valley.
As the driver of the truck was heading toward the landfill with a load of unsalable hay, old pallets and other trash he had picked up from Stockton Hill Feed in Kingman, he noticed flames and smoke billowing from the container. He immediately called 911 for assistance, pulled over, unloaded the container onto the side of the highway and pulled his truck forward to a safe distance so it would not also catch fire.
The Golden Valley Fire District (GVFD) firefighters from Station 11, along with GVFD Duty Officer Captain Rob Arnold and GVFD Fire Chief Jack Yeager, quickly responded to the call that came in at 2:59 p.m. of a vehicle fire along the highway.
Upon arrival, the firefighters quickly assessed the situation and “knocked down” the flames. Once the fire district personnel felt it was safe, they instructed the truck driver to reload the container onto his truck and they then followed him to the landfill as a safety precaution.
Once at the landfill, the container was unloaded and landfill personnel utilized a large caterpillar tractor to bury the smoldering load.
According to the driver, he believed someone may have tossed a lit cigarette into the container while it was at Stockton Hill Feed; however, the exact cause of the fire is currently under investigation by fire district personnel.
By Butch Meriwether
Photographer/Public Information Officer