ITHACA, N.Y.—A plow truck burned Thursday morning outside of Boynton Middle School. No one was injured in the incident.
The fire began just before 11 a.m. outside the school, which is located next to Ithaca High School on the far end of North Cayuga Street. Thomas Basher, of the Ithaca Fire Department, said that the truck was basically lost by the time IFD was able to respond.
It’s unclear how the fire started, but snow plows burning is not particularly uncommon because of the intense burden that plowing puts on the vehicle’s engine. Basher said a plume of black smoke was visible from North Cayuga Street, and that the fire started under the hood of the vehicle then subsequently spread to the cab and front plow attachment.
Two fire trucks responded to the blaze. The plow is owned by the Ithaca City School District, according to Basher. The district’s maintenance staff towed the vehicle away after the fire was extinguished. It would cost $60,000 to replace.
This photo is taken from a video of the fire from CNY Central.