Faribault Fire Chief Dustin Dienst reports that at 5:50 am on August 28, 2020, the Faribault Fire Department, Rice County Sheriff Deputies and North Memorial Ambulance responded to a vehicle on fire inside a building located at 25475 Cabot Ave. Callers reported that a tractor-trailer was inside the Jennie-O-Turkey Store Feed Mill and that the tractor was on fire. All employees had evacuated the building prior to our arrival. Upon our arrival we were faced with a fully engulfed cab and engine compartment of the tractor that was entirely inside the structure.
Crews worked hard to access the fire which was under the hood and inside the cab. Firefighters worked with staff to verify utility control for the area involved. Two fans were set-up to remove smoke from the loading area of the feed mill where this vehicle was located at the time of the fire. Dean’s Towing was contacted to pull the
tractor out of the loading bay. Once the tractor was removed from the structure a thorough overhaul of the structure was performed. Two small fires burning on accumulated dust were located and extinguished during overhaul. The tractor was completely destroyed, the trailer was undamaged and the building appeared to sustain only minor damage. Crews cleared the scene at 8:25 am.
The Faribault Fire Department spoke with both the driver and employees present about the fire. They stated that they heard a small boom in the loading bay and looked to see what was going on. They saw flames coming out from under the engine compartment of the tractor. The driver of the tractor-trailer stated that the vehicle was running fine and had no idea why the fire started. The cause of the fire will be documented as a failure of equipment.
Fire Chief Dustin Dienst commented, “Thankfully nobody was standing near the vehicle when the fire started. Employees acted fast by calling 911 and evacuating the building quickly. The design of the building and materials used to construct this facility played an important role in limiting fire damage.” Vehicle Fire at 25475 Cabot Ave
