Fuel truck catches fire at Grayslake landfill

A fuel truck caught fire late Monday afternoon at the Countryside landfill in Grayslake, creating a plume of black smoke and a call for special equipment.

The Grayslake Fire Protection District received a call of a fuel truck on fire about 4:40 p.m. at the landfill, which is between Route 83 and Route 137 north of Peterson Road.

Battalion Chief Jon Cokefair said the truck carrying 800 gallons of diesel fuel is based at the landfill to fuel other heavy equipment at the site. The fuel truck driver called for help after the vehicle backfired, stalled and the engine compartment caught fire, Cokefair said.

Fire crews stayed back about 800 feet from the burning vehicle, which was on an internal dirt road, until a Quad 2 foam unit arrived on the scene from Round Lake. He said several departments have joint ownership of the specialized vehicle.

"It's designed to smother a fire by taking the oxygen away. It blankets the flammable liquid and puts the fire out," he said.

Cokefair said the vehicle didn't explode, but there was that potential and a decision was made to send the foam unit to attack the fire. About 3,000 gallons of water/foam mixture was used put the fire out.

"It was quite the column of smoke," he added. "It got a lot of attention," he added. Route 83 in the area was closed for about 15 or 20 minutes.

No one was injured, and no damage estimate was available.

"There was no danger to the community at all," Cokefair said.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will be notified, he said.