Two occupants awoke to smoke, but were unharmed, when their tractor trailer truck caught fire while parked in the Maine Mall parking lot in South Portland early Thursday morning.
According to officials, the South Portland Police Department was called to the parking lot at 380 Gorham Rd. for reports of a vehicle fire at around 12:40 a.m. When they arrived on scene, they found that the fire had engulfed the truck.
According to the two occupants of the tractor trailer, which had been carrying fruit, they had been asleep and were awoken by smoke traveling into the truck cabin. By the time they were able to call 911, the truck became fully engulfed in flame.
One of the occupants was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, but was not transported to a hospital. The other occupant was unharmed.
The fire was determined to be a diesel fire, and around 70 gallons of diesel fuel was discharged in the fire. Firefighters had to use 47 gallons of a type of firefighting foam that is known to contain toxic PFAS chemicals to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters made an effort to prevent the foam from spreading, with blockades set up in the gravel wetland area and a branch of Long Creek in an attempt to contain the fuel and firefighting foam.
Despite efforts to control the diesel spill, some flowed into the gravel wetland along Philbrook Avenue, as well as the nearby branch of Long Creek. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, along with local agencies, are assessing the local impacts of the spill.
An investigation into the circumstances of the fire is ongoing.
