Fire destroys tractor rig in Santa Rosa

A tractor rig parked at a College Avenue business caught fire and burned early Sunday afternoon, briefly sending a large dark column of smoke high into the air.

At about 12:10 p.m. several people from throughout Santa Rosa called to report the smoke and possibility that a building was on fire. Arriving Santa Rosa firefighters found the tractor was burning but that the fire hadn't spread to a nearby building, said Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini.

Firefighters quickly doused the flames and the smoke disappeared. But the vehicle was burned to a charred mess.

The rig was owned by trucking company Atech Distribution. Head mechanic Hugo Valadez, who came to the scene and spoke with firefighters, said the three-axle, 2004 Peterbuilt tractor would cost about $130,000 to replace new.

It had been parked in a row of similar tractor rigs and hadn't been used since Thursday. “It was parked all weekend,” Valadez said.

The fire most likely started from a mechanical or electrical problem, said Piccinini.