Lee Trawick
reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Friday, Sept. 23, the Live Oak Fire Department (LOFD) responded to a call at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Clay Street, involving a tractor-trailer fire. Engine 7 was the first to respond, followed by Engine 2, which had previously responded to an unrelated call. Also supplying backup were Suwannee County Fire Rescue and Hazmat 1. Upon arriving on scene, the LOFD assessed the tractor had separated itself from the trailer full of pine straw, which was smoking. As the firefighters while suppressing the fire from the rear of the trailer, the firefighters also removed pine straw. Firefighters engaged their K-12 rotary saw to cut into the side of the trailer to help better attack the fire inside the trailer. Once extinguished, first responders remained on the scene to unload the pine straw to eliminate any potential fire hazards surrounding the scene. LOFD responded to the call at 11:35 p.m. and cleared the scene at 2:49 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. The tractor was not damaged, nor were there any injuries to report. However, the trailer was a total loss. A total of 11 firefighters responded to the call, along with four engines and one ambulance. Over 2,000 gallons of water were used to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, no foul play is suspected at this time.