Fire engulfed and destroyed a truck

ST. JOHNSBURY — Fire engulfed and destroyed a truck towing a trailer carrying food scraps for a local farm on Monday at a former Western Avenue gas station. The Ford truck, parked near the area where the pumps were once located, was quickly consumed by flames before firefighters arrived to extinguish the fire. The truck driver, Matt Wimmer of Albany, was parked off the road when he saw smoke coming from the dashboard area. He exited the vehicle as the fire began to grow. He tried to put the fire out with the vehicle’s extinguisher. Working for Black Dirt Farm in Stannard, Wimmer was driving the truck as part of a food scraps collection route. He had just loaded scraps from the Northeast Correctional Complex and was heading to the next collection stop at St. Johnsbury School, less than 100 yards from the former gas station. Wimmer said it’s possible the fire was sparked by the vehicle’s electrical system, which underwent extensive repair after being struck by lightning.