What likely started as a harmless cigarette being flipped out of a car window ended up with a company from Ohio losing an entire truck load of baled hay, according to Bridgeport Fire Chief Phil Hart.

 

The call to the Harrison County 911 came in this morning at 7:28 a.m. The flatbed truck had come to a stop in the parking lot of Walgreens along Lodgeville Road and Route 50.

 

“They were traveling on Route 50 East on their way to a cleanup along Interstate 79 from an incident that took place last week where they were going to replant some grass,” said Hart. “They were from Ohio and were getting off the interstate for a break and they noticed that their cargo was on fire. That’s when they pulled into the Walgreens parking lot.”

 

Hart said occupants of the truck tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher they had with them. However, those attempts failed and a call was made to 911.

 

“There was no damage to the truck or any surrounding property, but the cargo was completely ruined. Along with what we sprayed on the truck, we had to take everything off the truck and spray it down to make sure it was out,” said Hart.

 

Hart said Bridgeport fire personnel cleaned up the scene after the hay was soaked down. And he said the cause was something that has caused similar fires in the past.

 

“Apparently, a cigarette was flipped out of a car and into the straw,” said Hart. “People don’t think that can happen, but when you’re going down the interstate at 70 miles per hour and a cigarette is still smoldering and it lands in something like that and you now have the wind feeding it then you can get a situation where something catches on fire.”

 

Hart said it’s not the first time he’s seen a situation like this. He said he’s been involved with a fire where a flipped cigarette ignited a truck load of crushed cardboard. Hart also said in Bridgeport there’s been many instances where mulch in landscaped areas becomes ignited due to a flipped cigarette.

 

“I can assure you that the drivers weren’t expecting to see smoke when they looked back in their mirror,” said Hart. “There are dangers when you don’t properly dispose of cigarettes.”