Trailer Contents Cleared by Excavator as Firefighters Knock Down Second-Alarm Highway Blaze

West Sand Lake, NY - A destructive commercial vehicle fire triggered a second-alarm tanker mobilization overnight, shutting down traffic along the westbound Berkshire Spur and drawing mutual aid units from across Rensselaer and Columbia counties.

At approximately 12:47 a.m. on September 11, emergency personnel were dispatched to the westbound lanes of the Berkshire Spur (Interstate 90) near mile marker B6.5 for a heavily involved tractor-trailer. With no municipal hydrants available along the high-speed thruway corridor, incident command transmitted Box 34-08 for a second alarm, requesting immediate tanker task forces and water tenders.

The upgraded alarm marshaled resources from Best-Luther, the East Schodack Fire Company, Nassau Fire Department, Niverville Fire Department Inc., and the Stuyvesant Fire Department. The South Schodack Fire Company mounted an aggressive, rapid initial water-haul evolution, delivering roughly 14,000 gallons directly to the highway to support early suppression efforts.

Best-Luther Tanker-3 arrived on scene at 1:13 a.m. with a three-member crew and was ordered into service to feed attack lines working the burning trailer. Due to taxing fireground conditions and limited interior manpower, the Kinderhook Fire Department was subsequently dispatched to provide supplemental staffing.

Because the trailer’s densely packed freight prevented handlines from reaching deep-seated hot spots, incident commanders requested heavy equipment assistance. A New York State Department of Transportation excavator arrived to pull apart the smoldering cargo, enabling ground crews to direct water deep into the core of the debris.

Crews achieved a knockdown of the bulk of the fire by 2:52 a.m. Responders then spent more than an hour completing extensive overhaul and foam application. Best-Luther apparatus cleared the scene and returned to service at 4:04 a.m.