Box truck catches fire on I-40

WMFD battles beastly blaze with ease

By DON WILBURN

donaldfwilburn@gmail.com

On Tuesday, May 7, at approximately 4:10 p.m., dispatch received an emergency call reporting a vehicle _re on I-40 East in front of Walmart. The men of Company 2-B at Station One on College Blvd of the West Memphis Fire Department immediately sprang into action within seconds and arrived on the scene to _nd a box truck engulfed in a _ery inferno.

Arkansas State Troopers and of_cers of the West Memphis Police Department quickly arrived to assist in directing traf_c and ensuring the safety of the _re_ghters. Acting Captain Mark Johnson led the _re crew in battling the blaze, which was under control and completely extinguished in less than three minutes.

The driver of the truck, an immigrant from Jordan, was shaken but thankfully uninjured. He had been transporting a four-wheeler and a mattress in the truck, with the four-wheeler likely being salvaged from the _re. The cause of the _re remains unknown at this time.

A West Memphis firefighter doesn’t hesitate to run toward danger with his trusty hose in hand.

Photos by Don Wilburn

The “knockdown time,” a firefighting term for how long it takes to extinguish a fire, was an impressive three minutes.