Flames destroy vehicle and mail inside it

Desert Foothills Station, AZ, Letter Carrier Brad Yonan was on his route when the engine in his LLV suddenly died. When he restarted it, he smelled smoke and the engine suddenly burst into flames.

Yonan pulled off the road, got out of the vehicle safely and called 911. Firefighters soon arrived to put out the fire. However, the truck, and most of the mail inside it, was destroyed.

“The truck was basically melted,” Arizona District Customer Relations Coordinator Rob Soler told the Arizona Daily Star. “The fire was that intense.”

Postal Inspectors responded to the scene and consulted with firefighters, who concluded the fire resulted from a mechanical failure. Soler said LLVs are routinely serviced and maintained and such a fire is rare.

Mail recovered from the fire was delivered within a few days. Customers whose mail was destroyed received notification from the Postal Service.

There was one bright spot. Among the salvaged mail were medical laboratory results and a check for $1,400. The customer was so happy to receive the items that she called the Desert Foothills Station Post Office to express her thanks.

“Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor truck fires can stop you,” she said.

via USPS News Link Story – Arizona letter carrier survives LLV fire.