Firefighters Extinguish Vehicle, Grass Fire Along Highway 51

The driver of a Fed Ex delivery truck was on his way to have his truck seen at the shop for a coolant leak when he saw smoke coming from the engine area. He pulled over along the northbound lanes of Highway 51 and opened the hood to find fire under the hood. He used three fire extinguishers to attempt to put the fire out, but the fire would not extinguish and 911 was called. 

While en route, the fire was reported to have spread to the grass nearby, prompting Engine Co 10 to summon a second engine company to their location. Engine 10 arrived to find a 50-foot by 200-foot patch of grass burning, along with the entire front of the FedEx truck. 

Firefighters deployed two hose lines, one for the grass and another for the truck. Engine Co. 3 supplied Engine 10 with additional water for final knockdown of the fire, and the fire was extinguished about six minutes after firefighters arrived.

Madison Police blocked traffic while firefighters tended to the fire, and a tow truck removed the vehicle from the roadside. No injuries were reported during the incident. The contents of the delivery truck had been offloaded to another vehicle prior to its departure for the repair shop; no shipments were affected by the fire.