Asphalt Paver Ignites Near Route 50

An asphalt paving truck being used for construction work on Route 50 caught fire twice in 36 hours.

said flames were shooting 15 feet into the air Thursday night, forcing the driver to pull off into the TJ Maxx parking lot as construction workers doused it with water. The fire department was able to take over and put the flames out a few minutes later

The construction workers loaded it onto a trailer and prepared to ship it out for a new paver when it inexplicably caught fire again Saturday morning. Lewis said firefighters were called to the back corner of the parking lot shortly after 10 a.m. and knocked down the flames again.

The fire may be electrical, so the construction workers and firefighters disconnected some of the wiring within the engine.

“It’s sitting idle so it’s kind of weird that it caught on fire again,” Lewis said. “They loaded it up on a trailer and were getting ready to send it out.”

Construction crews from Swank are in the area . Crews are currently working on the stretch of Washington Pike near Great Southern Shopping Center.

Traffic on roadway was not affected seriously affected by the fire. Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department assisted Kirwan Heights at the scene Saturday morning.