A load of oily rags destined for recycling caught fire in the bed of a dump truck as the driver made his way west on Port Industrial Road on Friday morning.

According to Aberdeen Police Lt. C.J. Chastain, the truck, marked REG on the cab door, was headed east on Port Industrial Road from Renewable Energy Group Inc. The driver had stopped at the AM/PM gas station at South Park and West Heron streets at about 8:15 a.m. when it was discovered the load had caught fire somewhere during transit.

The driver quickly backed the truck away from the fuel pumps and stopped in the AM/PM lot on the east side of South Park Street with the bed facing the street. Witnesses at the scene said flames were clearly visible from the bed of the dump truck.

A ladder truck from the nearby Aberdeen Fire Station quickly knocked down the fire and was clearing the scene by 9 a.m. An oily sheen could be seen around a drain in the northwest corner of the parking lot, and a vacuum truck and other industrial cleanup responders from CCS Industrial Services were on hand shortly after the fire to begin cleanup operations.