Paint, rags and heat lead to a truck catching on fire and a man suffering burns while driving down U.S. 30 Friday afternoon. Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory responded to a truck on fire at 4:57 p.m. in the Wabash Electric Supplies parking lot on Corridor Drive. The driver, whose name was withheld as of press time, of the 2000 GMC Sierra was driving down U.S. 30 when he thought he saw condensation on the topper of his truck. He pulled over into the parking lot of Wabash Electric to discover a fire in the bed of the truck. The driver began attempting to empty the bed and suffered burns, according to Rob Barker, WWFT battalion chief. An investigation determined that the mixture of painting supplies, rags and heat caused a “spontaneous combustion,” according to Barker. The drive was transported to the Saint Joseph burn unit in Fort Wayne by ambulance. The extent of his injuries were unknown at the time of press. The truck was a total loss.
