ITD inspectors feel heat at East Boise Port of Entry

Work used to be relatively quiet, maybe even mundane, for Caleb Forrey until he traded the Marsing Port of Entry for the much busier East Boise Port of Entry Oct. 29. But he probably wasn't expecting the warm welcome he received in his second week at his new location.

Wednesday morning a loud explosion lured him from his office on the eastbound side of Interstate 84. On the opposite side of the interstate he noticed a small white cloud emerging from the back of a westbound trailer. It's not unusual to have overheated brakes produce smoke. But this was different. By the time he emerged from the tunnel under I-84 at the westbound port, the back of the trailer was engulfed in flames that were heading toward the semi-tractor.

ITD inspectors and other truck drivers in line at the scale tried to battle the fire with extinguishers -- six in all -- but were unsuccessful. About eight other trucks were in line at the scales awaiting weighing and inspection at the time of the fire. They were cleared and the port was closed at approximately 10:20 a.m.

The semi and burning trailer were next in line to be weighed but had not reached the scale, Forrey said. It was only about 30-40 feet from the port building. The building was not damaged, but landscaping at the port was charred. ITD inspected the scale pit Thursday morning to determine if it was damaged by water, said POE manager Pat Carr.

The Ada County and Boise fire departments responded to the growing threat and remained on the scene until 1 a.m. Thursday, Forrey explained. The trailer and its contents, frozen potato cubes, appeared to be a total loss, but despite extensive damage to the truck cab, the 2012 semi appeared to survive. It was en route from Lamb Weston in American Falls to a processing facility in Kennewick, Wash.

Cargo Express, with an office in Boise, owns the semi tractor; the trailer was registered to Navajo Express Inc.,

Although the cause of the trailer fire remains undetermined, Forrey said mechanical failure in the rear axle of the trailer, built in 2005, seems to be likely.

Approximately 1,800 commercial vehicles pass through each side of the busy port daily.

Published 11-9-2012