The truck in the middle was the origin of a fire that destroyed two trucks and damaged the third. Photo by Catherine Hardee / Neuse News

An early morning blaze destroyed two dump trucks and damaged a third at a local business.

Lynn Everett, owner of Everett’s Clearing and Grading on Fred Everett Road In Kinston, said he got a call from an employee at 4:48 a.m., informing him of the fire.

When Everett arrived on the scene, two trucks were in flames, and the wind was threatening to spread the flames to the truck parked next in line. 

“I ran to get the keys and jumped in and pulled it out of the way,” Everett said.

The North Lenoir Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire, and Everett said it took them about 20 minutes to get the flames under control.

Firefighters remained on the scene investigating the cause of the blaze until about 8 a.m. A fire inspector came out and Everett said he was told that the fire was most likely the result of an electrical short in the fuse box of the first truck to catch fire. 

Two dump trucks were completely engulfed in flames, while a third suffered damage from the heat of being in close proximity. The truck where the blaze originated belonged to Carolina Trucking, owned by Mary Ann Everett, while the other two trucks belonged to Everett’s Clearing and Grading.

Mary Ann Everett said the loss is heartbreaking.

“It’s just one of those things,” Lynn Everett said. 

Lynn Everett said the total value of the damage is more than $300,000, and the replacement cost will be even higher.

Additionally, “that’s three drivers that are out of work for right now,” Everett said.

He already has a contract to purchase one new truck to replace the loss, but it is still a real blow to the business, he said.