COLRAIN — An officer with the Colrain Police Department put out a fire in a driveway with an extinguisher and a neighbor’s garden hose Wednesday afternoon.
James Hunkler responded to the fire at 390 Main Road at roughly 2:30 p.m. and had it mostly extinguished when firefighters arrived, according to a post on the Colrain Firefighters’ Association’s Facebook page.
“We would like to thank Officer Hunkler for his good work preventing this fire from extending to the house and our mutual aid partners that were canceled en route to assist us,” the post reads.
Investigation revealed the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of sawdust from a flooring vacuum bag in an outside trash barrel, the post explains. The owner said his vacuum also caught fire in his van the previous evening, but he was able to remove it without damage to his vehicle.
The fire was called in by a neighbor who saw flames and smoke coming from a garage on her security camera. Hunkler responded, as did the Colrain Fire Department and an ambulance, the post explains.
A first alarm was initially issued, resulting in the dispatch of firefighters from Shelburne, Shelburne Falls, Heath, Greenfield, Charlemont and Halifax, Vt. However, the tone was canceled after Hunkler advised the fire was in the driveway close to the home but had not extended to the residence. Charlemont crews had also been responding to cover Colrain’s station.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.