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Mail burns when delivery truck catches fire

St. Patrick's Day flames send letters, bills up in smoke
A member of the Lewes Fire Department hoses down a U.S. Postal Service truck that caught fire March 17. The driver saved some of the mail, but some mail was destroyed. COURTESY LEWES FIRE DEPARMENT
Chris Flood
March 20, 2014
Members of the Lewes Fire Department make sure a fire that destroyed a U.S. Postal Service truck is fully extinguished. COURTESY LEWES FIRE DEPARTMENT
A member of the Lewes Fire Department stands by with the hose ready while two other members check to make sure the fire has been suppressed. COURTESY LEWES FIRE DEPARMENT
A pile of still-smoking mail intended to be delivered March 17 sits behind a truck that was destroyed by fire. COURTESY LEWES FIRE DEPARTMENT

A U.S. Postal Service truck delivering mail near Lewes caught fire and was destroyed March 17, taking with it numerous pieces of mail.

The Lewes Fire Department website shows several units were dispatched at 3:42 p.m. to 17444 Taramino Place in Nassau, off Route 1 north of Five Points. The truck was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on the scene.

Just how much mail was destroyed could not be determined; calls to the Rehoboth Beach Post Office were not returned at press time. State police say no foul play is suspected, but no cause of the fire was released.

The driver of the vehicle was not injured, but the vehicle was totaled, according to a letter sent to postal customers along the route March 19. The letter from Rehoboth Beach Postmaster Betsy Triglia informed customers of the fire and let them know mail had been destroyed.

Mail deemed salvageable will be held at the Rehoboth Beach Post Office Annex, 20673 Coastal Highway, Unit 8, Rehoboth Beach, until Wednesday, April 2. The letter said customers will be notified directly if their mail can be identified to make arrangements to view the mail.

Triglia said the fire may lead to inconveniences for customers and said her letter should be of assistance in explaining this situation to creditors and other correspondents.

“Experience has shown they willingly review their customers' file and usually waive any penalty or late fees when it is apparent a delayed or missed payment was not the fault of the customer,” the letter reads.

For more information and to make arrangements to see damaged mail call (302) 227-8241.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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