Alert and quick action by Georgia State Patrol and Sheriff's Deputies saved a semi fire from becoming a large and difficult fire to extinguish on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire in the engine of a semi broke out on the Bypass at the foot of the exit ramp to the West Street.  Georgia State Patrol and Sheriff's Deputies kept the fire at bay with hand held extinguishers until Bainbridge Public Safety arrived.  Then, as Public Safety Officers donned their gear, GSP and Deputies quickly pulled the hoses off the fire truck and began exstinguishing the fire.

Gum (speaking in video above), the semi driver for the First Coast Express truck, told us that he was hauling a load of rolled paper from Cedar Springs on his way to Miami.  After he turned south off the Bypass onto Highway 27, he heard a boom.  He stopped and checked his truck, and with no obvious problem, he turned around and headed back toward a truck stop on Highway 84 west.

After getting onto the Bypass, smoke began to pour from the engine and he pulled over.  About that time, GSP Jeremy Roberts happened on scene, alerted everyone via radio of what was then a small fire, and used his portable extinguisher on the engine area.  Sheriff's Sgt Steve Singleton, Deputy Humberto Dean, Troopers Walt Landrum and Brian Palmer were also in the area and arrived on scene and utilized their extinguishers.

Asst Fire Chief Doyle Welch arrived with the first truck.  As arriving Public Safety Officers donned their gear, Troopers Walt Landrum and Brian Palmer and Deputy Steve Singleton pulled hoses from the truck and quickly began pouring water onto the fire.  Public Safety Officers took over the hoses and completed the task.

The quick action stopped the fire from spreading into the semi trailer which contained rolled paper.  No doubt if that had happened, the 30 minutes of a blcked west bound Bypass would easily have turned into several hours.