Ben Swanson was driving from Troy to Libby along U.S. Highway 2 when he noticed smoke pouring into the cab of his truck from the vents. He slammed on the brakes and shut down the truck, jumping out just as flames began pouring from the dash.

A passing driver noticed the smoke and turned his vehicle around to assist. With the limited amount of water they had on hand, the two were unable to extinguish the fire, which spread rapidly through the vehicle.

“It burnt real hot and real quick,” Swanson said. “The leather interior caught fire and it just went up in flames.”

Libby Volunteer Fire arrived at the scene minutes later to put out the fire, but by then it was already too late. Swanson’s truck was destroyed.

Swanson said he had recently invested a good deal of money into the truck, money he is sure 

he won’t get back in the insurance settlement. His situation is compounded by his recent lay-off from his job in the oil fields of Williston, N.D., where he had been working for the past three and a half years.

“I can’t get a car loan right now because I don’t have a job,” he said.

Swanson was planning to leave for Anchorage, Alaska soon to seek mining or oil work. The loss of the truck won’t impact his plans, he said, as he doesn’t need his own vehicle for work in Alaska.

“I don’t have a clue what I’m going to do,” he said. “But I am still planning on going to Alaska.”

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation by the fire department, but Swanson suspects it was some sort of electrical problem in the dash.

“I guess fire doesn’t have any friends,” Swanson said. “This just sucks.”