Contributed photo

Two Barry Swanson Trucking Company log semi-tractors, located side-by-side, burnt on Sunday morning, Sept. 18 at the company’s yard on Woodpecker Lane, a street located off Merchant Road in Forks. The company reported on Monday, Sept. 19 that a Clallam County Fire Department investigation is pointing to an electrical fire as the cause of the blaze that totaled the two trucks. It is unlikely that arson was involved, the report stated.

UPDATE: Clallam County Sheriif’s Department issues report on fire – Monday afternoon, Sept. 19, 2011

On 9-18-2011 at approximately 4:45 am the Forks Fire Department, Clallam County Fire District

#1, was dispatched to the Barry Swanson Trucking Inc. yard, located at 600 Woodpecker Lane in

Forks, for a multiple log truck fire. An employee, who resides on the premises, was awakened by

the sounds of the fire and called 911. Upon arrival, the Fire Department found two of the

business’ unloaded Kenworth log trucks fully engulfed in flames. Both trucks were

symmetrically parked, within several feet of one another, amongst a portion of the business’ fleet

of log trucks. The fire was quickly contained to the two burning log trucks by responding fire

crews. Two other trucks sustained varying degrees of heat damage as a result of the fire.

Due to the unknown cause and nature of the fire, the Forks Fire Department requested Clallam

County Sheriff’s Deputies respond to investigate. Deputies with specialized training and

experience in determining the origin and cause of fires responded to the scene. The investigation

determined the fire originated in the battery housing of one of the trucks. The cause has been

determined to be accidental with the ignition source likely being an electrical short from faulty

battery wiring.

The two trucks, a 2002 and 2006 model year Kenworth semi-tractors, were extensively damaged

and deemed a total loss.