DEATH VALLEY (KTNV) — National Park Service rangers are being hailed as heroes after preventing a tractor trailer from going up in flames on Thursday.
According to a press release, this happened on Thursday.
Park service officials said the driver was traveling on California State Route 190 while leaving Towne Pass. An off-duty park service employee noticed flames underneath the tractor trailer, which was in front of her. Since there is no cell service in that area, the employee used a park radio to report the fire and first responders were dispatched from Furnace Creek, 35 miles away.
The report states the truck pulled off the road onto a shoulder and the driver used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
The release states the park service fire truck continued to follow the tractor trailer in case it happened again. As the vehicle continued to travel down CA-190, the brakes caught fire again and the truck parked at Emigrant Junction where park service employees put it out.
One tire was destroyed but the other 17 tires and the trailer were okay. No injuries were reported.
The park service said this is the third vehicle fire in Death Valley that rangers have responded to this year.
They're advising anyone traveling through the area to research these routes in advance and consider less-steep alternatives. They said some roads in the park have long, steep grades that are up to 9%.
