Fire at Borden-Carleton Esso destroys tractor-trailer cabin

A tractor-trailer caught on fire Tuesday morning at the Esso gas station in Borden-Carleton, P.E.I.

Shawn Jessome, chief for Borden-Carleton fire department, said the department got a call at about 7:30 a.m. for smoke spotted at the gas station.

Once fire department arrived on the scene, they found a tractor-trailer parked in the back parking lot "engulfed in flames," according to Jessome.

The cabin of the vehicle was completely destroyed by the fire, he said, and the driver was not injured. Jessome said he's unsure if the vehicle was running at the time the tractor-trailer caught in flames.

The cause of the fire is still unknown but RCMP is investigating, according to Jessome.

The fire was put out with no damage to any nearby building or gas pump, Jessome said.

"Luckily, the fire was close, right across from the fire hall, so members had a quick response," Jessome said.

Though Jessome said this was "not a serious fire," the situation could have been much worse if the fire department was not able to respond quickly.

"It probably could have been a fairly big fire if it got into the diesel pumps," he said.

"There would be quite an explosion."

Jessome said he doesn't know what the vehicle was hauling but the fire did not reach the trailer section.