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Truck fire sends driver to hospital

A truck caught fire Tuesday night on Coal Bank Pass, sending the driver to the hospital for smoke inhalation and shutting down U.S. Highway 550 for more than an hour, emergency officials said Wednesday.

Durango Fire Protection District Capt. Steve List said around 11:30 p.m. a Ford Excursion towing another late-model pickup on a trailer was headed up Coal Bank Pass on the south side when the Excursion caught fire.

About a mile from the top, the driver – a man from Texas possibly traveling with a passenger – pulled to the side of the highway, and the fire started to spread to the towed vehicle, which was set up for welding and contained a lot of fuel and propane, List said.

The Silverton Fire Department was the first crew on the scene, and once emergency officials assessed the situation they decided to call DFPD and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.

The fire was extinguished, and Highway 550 was open by 1:30 a.m.

jromeo@durangoherald.com



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