The Hallowell Fire Department put out a blaze in a 1961 Corvair pickup truck on Wednesday, the second older vehicle to burn in the city in a little over a week.

Fire Chief Mike Grant said the owner of the vehicle, Richard Barrett, was attempting to prime the engine with a handheld can of gasoline when some fuel spilled and caught fire. The accidental fire occurred about 9:45 a.m. on Greenville Street, where Barrett has construction vehicles.

Grant said the motor in the Corvair was in the back of the pickup body, and damage was confined to the engine compartment and rear tires.

“I would consider the vehicle salvageable,” Grant said.

Grant said Barrett collects older vehicles.

The fire department was there within nine minutes, Grant said. “We were able to make short work of it.”

On Sept. 2, an older model Chrysler Lebaron convertible caught fire in a parking lot off Water Street. That car was destroyed.


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