Oakville Fire received calls from passersby, at around 2:10 p.m. on Monday, Apr. 17, about a “full size tanker on fire” at a construction site on Wyecroft Road, near Burloak Drive.
Five fire trucks, with 15 firefighters and a command officer, made it on scene.
Thick black smoke billowed from the tanker, causing bystanders to worry; but its proximity to a propane tank was even more worrisome.
The tanker, filled with liquid tar, was to be used for roofing work.
That liquid tar would need to be heated up, through the use of a propane tank, in order to be utilized on a roof. Heat would help turn the liquid tar into a more readily usable state.
Despite the dramatic sight that bystanders were treated to and propane tanks nearby, the fire was actually “very small” according to Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Boyer.
“Because of the petroleum based products in the material that’s on fire, it produces a lot of dramatic black smoke.” - Boyer
Firefighters also had to employ an alternative fire supply strategy, “a dry chem extinguishing agent,” as opposed to water or their usual methods.
All in all, the fire was put out quickly and the last unit left the site by 3:45 p.m..
There were no exposures to the fire, and no injuries.