A driver escaped without injury when his delivery truck suddenly caught on fire late Wednesday morning on South Whidbey.

According to South Whidbey Fire/EMS Assistant Chief Terry Ney, the call came in around 11:33 a.m. Nov. 20 for a FedEx truck on fire at the intersection of Goss Ridge Road and Shady Lane. Ney reported that a column of black smoke emerging from the vehicle could be seen as far away as the Bayview area, which is several miles from the site of the blaze.

The fire department responded with one engine, one water tender and all four command vehicles. The truck and its contents were a total loss, but fortunately, the driver was unharmed.

The driver reported seeing smoke and flames coming from the heater vents. Firefighters were unable to determine if the conflagration started in the heater or if it was an engine compartment fire that extended into the cab via the heater ducts, Ney said.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS was on scene for about an hour, clearing at 12:45 p.m.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to FedEx and we are grateful there were no injuries,” a spokesperson from the company said Thursday afternoon. “Packages and contents were collected and carefully examined for damage and affected shippers have been notified. Customers with questions about their shipments can track their packages on fedex.com.”