Inferno at the gate

Jason Theesfeld had parked his truck on County Road 408 to open a gate on the Overland Trail Ranch when he noticed his truck was on fire.

"I would've kicked dirt on it, if it had been a little fire," Theesfeld said. He headed east away from the truck and called his friend Brandon Gray who is a volunteer for the Saratoga Fire Department. "He's a good friend of mine, so I just called him first," Theesfeld said.

Next, he used his phone to video the fire. "The radio was still going and then the brake lights flashed and boom, the truck was in a fire ball."

Parts of the truck flew several feet, fortunately, Theesfeld was far enough away to avoid injury.

When Brenda Schwartzkopf heard the fire siren, she said she had a bad feeling. "I always call Jason to make sure he is okay because he works alone out there," Schwartzkopf said. Out there is where the Choke Cherry Wind Farm will be located when construction begins in March of 2017. Theesfeld works for Power Company of Wyoming.

"I'm in trouble," Theesfeld told Schwartzkopf.

Schwartzkopf dropped everything. She knew exactly where Theesfeld was and she drove her car out to the fire.

She was ahead of the Carbon County Deputy Sheriff, Kevin Shue, and two fire trucks.

When she arrived, only the frame of the truck remained, with one tire intact. The transfer case was laying on the ground under the truck.

"I just bought four new tires for that truck and sent off my registration," Theesfeld said.

The truck was still in flames as the first responders, including Gray, worked to put out the fire.

When the other fire trucks showed up, the firemen assisted the first responders in putting out the fire.

Carbon County Sheriff Jerry Colson said an investigation will take place to find out what caused the fire.

As of 4:19 p.m. Monday, the fireman were still on the scene to make sure there were no hot spots. The first call went out shortly after 3 p.m.