Trailer burns up with vintage vehicles inside
Humboldt firefighters visit with one of the members of Slightly Twisted Pulling Team after their trailer and pulling trucks caught on fire Friday afternoon, five blocks west of their destination, the Humboldt County Fairgrounds for Friday night’s Outlaws Tractor and Pickup Pull. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
This 1939 International truck was one of two antiques that burned up in a trailer fire on Highway 3 Friday afternoon in Humboldt. Humboldt Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
By KENT THOMPSON
A semitrailer caught fire on Highway 3 in Humboldt Friday afternoon about 4:14 p.m.
The fire engulfed the trailer destroying a four-wheeler and two modified pulling trucks.
“Something started on fire in the front of the trailer. The driver was able to see it and was able to stop,” Humboldt Fire Chief Jim Gronbach said at the scene. The driver pulled over just west of the intersection with 11th Street North and was able to disengage the cab and pull it around the corner from the burning trailer.
“We were on our way to fair with two 1939 International trucks that we had modified to pull in Outlaw events like the one here in Humboldt,” said the rig’s owner, Terry Van Beek of Rock Valley. Terry and his family compete under the Slightly Twisted Pulling Team name.
“It was two antique trucks and a four-wheeler to pull them around. I didn’t see smoke initially,” he said.
The Humboldt County Law Enforcement Center received a 911 call after 4 p.m. saying a semi was on fire by Casey’s and the driver didn’t know about it.
Van Beek said he saw a puff of smoke and then a car pulled up in the inside lane of Highway 3 eastbound and motioned for him to stop.
“He was able to get the cab off the dolly and out of the way. We arrived at the scene fairly quickly and got it put out, but the damage was already extensive to the exterior of the semi and all of the inside contents,” Gronbach said.
Humboldt Police Chief Joel Sanders was the first on the scene and said no other vehicles were involved and no one was injured.
“We got the perimeter established to control traffic and make way for the fire trucks on a busy stretch of highway at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon,” Sanders reported.
The trailer and the contents were a total loss. Van Beek said he had insurance on the trailer but not all of the contents inside. MidAmerican Energy arrived later to make sure than none of the overhead power lines were damaged from the intense heat.
The Humboldt Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Humboldt Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol and Jergens Auto Body.
For more details, read the July 28 Humboldt Independent. Your trusted source for local news and sports.
