A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

School district vehicle catches fire in JDHS parking lot

Bystanders attempted to extinguish the fire, but the vehicle is likely a total loss.

This story has been updated to include new information.

A Juneau School District snow plow caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, said a Capital City Fire/Rescue officer.

No injuries were reported, but the vehicle is likely a total loss, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager.

“It was a school district maintenance truck,” Jager said in a phone interview. “It started somewhere in the engine compartment, and we’re still figuring out what was the cause of it.”

The vehicle, a 2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty, was parked and shut off for roughly 20 minutes while the driver was inside the high school before onlookers saw flames from the engine compartment at approximately 9:30 a.m, Jager said.

A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

“The driver wasn’t in the vehicle when the fire broke out, so there were no injuries, fortunately,” said Juneau School District’s chief of staff Kristin Bartlett in a phone interview. “He did try to put the fire out with the fire extinguisher, but he couldn’t so he called for assistance as soon as possible.”

The fire was too big for people in the area to suppress themselves, Jager said.

“We had a quick report from people. There was no damage to the building, but the tree next to it was scorched,” Jager said. “We had to use some water. Bystanders tried using extinguishers, but it was too big. There were some big flames when we showed up.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, but it is not considered suspicious at this time, Jager said. CCFR will be examining maintenance data to try and isolate a possible cause, Jager said.

“With engine fires, it could be a number of things. It could be a recall issue. It could be an electrical issues. We’re just trying to do our due diligence,” Jager said. “Its going to be a totaled vehicle. There was a lot of damage, and I don’t think they’ll be able to just replace the engine. Any time you get heat damage to the frame, it’s an issue.”

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire 
A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager.

Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire A Juneau School District plow truck caught fire Monday morning in the parking lot of Juneau-Douglas High School Yadaa.at Kalé, Feb. 1, 2021. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown, said Capital City Fire/Rescue fire marshal Dan Jager.

With the cause unknown, Jager said, they’ll try to run down possible causes.

“It wasn’t like it was an old vehicle. I’m still waiting to get the maintenance records, but it was pretty well maintained,” Jager said. “We’re just tracking down some of the possibilities and going from there.”

The loss of a snowplow is unhelpful, Bartlett said, especially with snow called for throughout the week.

“We have quite a few (plow trucks). They all get put to good use when it snows,” Bartlett said “We will have to make do with having one less for the week and it’s not a good week to have one less. We’ll work on getting a permanent replacement as soon as possible.”

Bartlett said whether insurance will cover the truck likely depends on the cause of the fire, which the investigation will hopefully determine. In the meantime, the JSD maintenance crews will shuffle vehicles or look at options for obtaining one for a short period of time in the interim, Bartlett said.

“I think the existing maintenance department would cover all of the properties and we’ll be able to rent or borrow one in the short term. The snowplows here in Juneau get a lot of use,” Bartlett said, “We’re happy that no one was injured and that there was no damage to the school property besides the vehicle.”

• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at (757) 621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.

More in News

Bob Girt works with the Alaska Youth Stewards on Prince of Wales Island in 2022. (Photo courtesy of Bethany Goodrich / Sustainable Southeast Partnership)
Threads of the Tongass: Building a sustainable future

“These students can look back and say, ‘I helped build that. I was a contributor.’”

KTOO, Juneau's public radio station, is photographed in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Public radio facing cuts as Congress moves to pull back funding

KTOO could lose one-third of its budget if the House passes a bill cutting funding for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting

Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo
The Norwegian Bliss arrives in Juneau on Monday, April 14.
Ships in port for the week of July 19

This information comes from the Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska’s 2025 schedule.… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, July 17, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Ben Hohenstatt | Juneau Empire File)
Hiker rescued from gully at Eaglecrest

The woman got stuck in a gully after taking a wrong turn

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Wednesday, July 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Dimond Courthouse in Juneau, Alaska, is seen in this undated photo. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire file)
Juneau man pleads guilty to murder of infant

James White pleaded guilty yesterday to the murder of 5-and-half-week-old Kathy White

U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Megan Dean shakes hands with the new Arctic District commander Rear Admiral Bob Little on Friday. Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, commander of the Pacific Area, smiles. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
US Coast Guard receives new commander, new name for Alaska

The Arctic District’s new icebreaker will visit Juneau next month

City and Borough of Juneau City Hall is photographed on July 12, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Juneau Empire file)
Municipal election candidate filing period opens July 18

The filing period runs from July 18 at 8 a.m. to July 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Most Read