Big rig catches fire; blaze spreads to tomato-packaging plant

A big rig caught fire on D Street on Tuesday afternoon and the flames spread to the Stanislaus Food Product building.

The tractor-trailer rig was well involved when firefighters from the Modesto and Ceres fire departments and Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District arrived about 12:30 p.m.

Witnesses reported the truck had a flat tire near Ninth and D Streets, said Modesto Fire Division Chief Alan Ernst. They tried to wave down the driver as he headed east on D Street, but bits of tire began to tear away from the wheel and moments later the truck caught fire.

The driver stopped in front of the offices of the tomato packaging plant Stanislaus Food Products at 1202 D St., where the heat caused windows to shatter.

There were about 70 employees inside who evacuated the building; no one was injured, according to an official with the company.

Ernst said it took crews about 20 minutes to extinguish the flames.

Smoke entered the building through the window, but most of the fire damage was to the exterior wall.

The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage to the truck and building.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Big rig catches fire; blaze spreads to tomato-packaging plant."