Fire Claims Pickup On Otter Gap Road

Steven Bowles watches from a distance as his truck burns in the middle of Otter Gap Rd on Wednesday.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Firefighters were called to Otter Gap Road around 10:35am Wednesday morning with a report of vehicle fire in the middle of the roadway.

As emergency workers arrived on scene, they began working to extinguish a fully engulfed, 2006 Chevy Colorado owned by Steven Bowles (41) of the Otter Gap community.

Bowles said the truck began experiencing mechanical problems before heading up the steep hill near the county line and the engine died. He said he tried several times to get going again as he was almost home, but he said that's when he began to smell smoke through the air conditioner vents. He said he popped the hood on the truck to have a look and that's when the truck burst into flames.

A firefighter works to extinguish a 2006 Chevy Colorado.

Bowles was uninjured in the incident. 

"I'm just glad it wasn't any worse than it was," he said. "Things can always be worse."

Firefighters work at the scene of a truck fire.

A section of the road was shut down for over an hour as crews cleared the scene. No injuries were reported. Responding to the fire were the Chalybeate and Brownsville Fire Departments, Sheriff Shane Doyle, and the KY Highway Transportation Department.

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