Above is the mail truck that caught fire on Oakhurst Place in Menlo Park. At right is some of the mail that was removed from the truck. Photos provided by the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.
By the Daily Post staff
Investigators are trying to determine why a mail truck caught fire in Menlo Park.
The vehicle erupted in flames at around noon on Friday (Nov. 17) in front of 251 Oakhurst Place. The mail carrier was able to escape and wasn’t injured.
“Once we saw it was a mail delivery vehicle on fire we approached with caution not knowing if the contents had started the fire,” said fire Capt. Tony Eggimann. “Once we determined that was not the case, we focused our efforts to protecting the contents and then extinguishing the main body of the fire.”
The truck was carrying mail to about 300 to 400 homes in the Suburban Park neighborhood.
Residents and businesses whose mail was damaged will be contacted by the postal service.
Firefighters used water sparingly to extinguish the mail. The damaged mail will be carefully handled, separated and restored by the postal service, said Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman.
