Clean Harbors truck fire near Elko on Feb. 11 classified low‑risk; LEPC approves incident report submission to CERC

Elko County emergency personnel said a Clean Harbors truck carrying hazardous waste experienced an axle fire in the early morning of Feb. 11; the truck’s load did not require an extended highway closure and the Local Emergency Planning Committee voted to submit a hazardous incident report to the County/State Emergency Response Commission (CERC).

Chris McCann, chief of Elko County Ambulance, told the committee the incident occurred the morning of Feb. 11, with initial pages going out close to 3 a.m. and response activity around 4 a.m. He said a Clean Harbors truck hauling hazardous materials from California to a Utah facility had an axle catch fire and that the blaze extended into the trailer. McCann said the company’s national team and DOD were involved in cleanup and that, because the materials were “all kind of low grade stuff,” the firefight and cleanup were relatively straightforward and the freeway did not need prolonged closure.

“Fortunately, they weren't carrying anything that I would consider too dangerous, so it was, relatively simple as far as the firefight and getting it under control,” McCann said.

McCann made a motion to submit the incident report to CERC for official notification and record; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote with no opposition noted.

The LEPC recorded the incident for potential state reporting; members did not indicate additional action beyond filing the report.