ST. GEORGE — A large billow of black smoke and the smell of burnt tar filled the air Wednesday as St. George firefighters rushed to extinguish flames coming from a piece of road repair equipment.
An asphalt seal-coating trailer, owned by Straight Stripe Painting, burst into flames due to a malfunction, said Capt. Rick Nelson, of the St. George Fire Department. Specifics to what caused the malfunction are currently unknown.
“It is a tank that mixes tar for the streets for cracks and everything like that,” Nelson told St. George News, adding that two different kinds of diesel oil heat up the tar in those tanks.
The tar in those tanks can get up to 450 degrees, Nelson said.
“We cool the tanks after we put the fire out just to reduce that temperature.”
According to Straight Stripe Painting’s website, those type of trailers are used to fix cracks in roads, which usually result from thermal expansion, road aging and cracks from underlying layers. The machines are also used to apply premium or standard seal coats to asphalt.
Seal-coating equipment tanks range from $1,000 to $9,000 online.
Nelson said employees from Straight Stripe Painting tried to put the flames out themselves and were quick to call 911.
Gold Cross Ambulance and the St. George Police also responded to the scene. There were no injuries.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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