MEREDITH — A United States Postal Service mail truck caught fire in Meredith on Friday morning, destroying both the vehicle and a “considerable” amount of mail still inside. The driver was able to exit the vehicle and was not injured, according to Meredith Fire Chief Ken Jones.
Meredith fire and police responded to a call for a vehicle fire at about 10:53 a.m. along Route 25 downtown.
Mail carrier Frank West had turned off and exited his truck to deliver mail at Bayside Rentals, according to Jones. When West returned from his rounds and restarted the vehicle, Jones said, he noticed flames coming from the engine compartment. West was able to leave the vehicle safely, but within seconds the fire had spread to the passenger side, and by the time first responders arrived, the vehicle was engulfed.
West had completed some, but not all, of his route, Jones said, and a “considerable” amount of mail and the truck itself were destroyed in the fire.
Because the vehicle is federal property, an investigation will be undertaken by the appropriate federal body, Jones added, but the fire is believed to be the result of a mechanical failure.
A request for comment to the USPS was not returned Friday.