On Thursday morning at approximately 10 a.m. a truck, traveling eastbound on Highway 200 just west of plains, caught fire due to a mechanical failure.

According to Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department Assistant Chief Lee Mercier the fire began when a short in the truck’s heater motor ignited some wiring, which spread throughout the engine compartment.

The driver of the vehicle pulled over after noticing smoke coming from underneath the dashboard. By the time the vehicle was stopped, however, his attempts to extinguish the blaze with snow were ineffective.

Fire fighters were able to put out the blaze only after using foam and fire extinguishers to break up the pockets of magnesium and other combustible materials that had caught fire.

Although the driver was uninjured, the truck was entirely engulfed in flames from the gas tank forward, leaving only the bed of the pickup intact.