A fuel delivery truck from the Community Cooperative Oil Association of Essig was destroyed Wednesday afternoon in a spectacular fire that could be seen for miles.

Del Schultz, driver, was driving north on a gravel road about 8 miles west of New Ulm when he stopped for the blacktop Brown County Highway 29.

“The truck stalled,” said Schultz. “I noticed smoke coming from behind the cab and when I got out I saw flames. I used a hand fire extinguisher, but it didn’t put out the blaze.

“The farmer (Art Simon) called the New Ulm Fire Department, then brought a small extinguisher. We couldn’t control it and had to back off because of the flames.

“As the truck burned,” Schultz continued, “the brake lining went and the truck rolled down a slight incline into a ditch on the west side.”

There it burned slowly, along with 900 gallons of gasoline and 400 gallons of diesel oil, escaping from leaks.

When the firemen arrived, they decided this slow burning could go on for hours. David Clancy donned asbestos gloves and moved forward to open the valve and burn off the fuel. Another fireman raised the lid covering the valves.

Two hoses of water sprayed the men and truck to reduce the risk.

When the gasoline started to flow, Clancy leaped back over some plowed furrows and raced to safety. The other firemen already had sped off.

There was an inferno. In the almost windless air, black smoke went hundreds of feet in the air. It could be seen in New Ulm and Sleepy Eye. Only a few farmers and some passersby were close enough to view the drama as Clancy lowered the boom.

Only a little grass burned in the ditch into which the driverless truck had rolled. The field was plowed. Had it been in grain the fire certainly would have spread.

“I am thankful it wasn’t any worse,” said Schultz, who had never had a fire in 17 years as a driver for the firm.” If I had been unloading in a farm, that fire could have spread to buildings.”

He was enroute to make a delivery in the Minnesota River valley a few miles on north.

Fire Chief L. E. Lowinske said that some foam was used on the fire but conditions were not just right to continue, so they turned to water to cool Clancy on his derring-do.

There was no explosion in the truck, which was a 1971-model International. The cooperative has three other delivery trucks and will double up until a replacement is found, said manager Mel Krzmarzick.