Fire Department

A fire that ignited in the backseat of a passenger pickup truck was traced to a wayward gas cylinder found under the back seat.

The driver of the pickup truck said she noticed smoke in the cab as she drove along Stoughton Road and pulled over to see what was happening. That’s when she discovered a small fire behind the passenger seat. She flagged down some help from the side of the road and was met by another motorist who had a fire extinguisher aboard his company vehicle. He was able to knock down the flames.

Engine Company 5 arrived soon after to find smoke still coming from the back seat. Firefighters began their investigation, locating a gas cylinder with a push-button ignition torch resting on the floor under the back seat of the pick-up truck. This, firefighters determined, was also the seat of the fire. The knob on the cylinder was found in the “on” position, likely causing gas release and a spark that ignited the fire.

Firefighters removed belongings and doused the backseat with water to thoroughly cool the area and prevent a fire from re-igniting.