Vehicle was 30 feet from home west of Plains

A truck containing guns and ammunition burst into flames adjacent to propane tanks and hay bails seven miles west of Plains, but Plains-Paradise Rural Volunteer Fire Department responders prevented the potentially dangerous fire from encroaching on a home 30 feet away.

George Nass, owner of the home near the junction of Rattling Horn and Upper Lynch, noticed that the truck, parked in the back yard, had caught fire, and the rural fire department was paged at noon Thursday, according to assistant fire chief Lee Mercier. Mercier said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Mercier said there were three guns and ammunition in the truck, and some shells were exploding inside of the cab when firefighters arrived on scene.

Nine firefighters with three vehicles — two foam-dispensing brush trucks and a structure truck — responded, said Mercier. He said the firefighters' first task was to open the vehicle doors and hood to begin extinguishing the flames. Mercier said the gas and fumes had "burned off" by the time the firefighters arrived.

The fire crew also cooled off near-by propane tanks with foam and moved them away from the truck, according to Mercier. Some bails of hay also caught fire and were doused in foam. Mercier said foam was used because it works quickly to smother and saturate the fire.

Firefighters then removed objects from the interior of the truck. Mercier said clothing, magazines and other typical items kept in vehicles can retain heat, so firefighters try to clear them out.

Mercier said that the flames could have spread to the home, particularly if an explosion had propelled embers in the direction of the structure. In some cases, heat can cause car wires and plastic to melt, resulting in a dashboard fire, said Mercier, adding that certain smells can indicate a car fire.