A 22-year-old shirtless man found himself behind bars Monday morning after officials said he abandoned a burning Seguin work truck on the side of Interstate 10 near Boerne.
The case began shortly before 9:45 a.m. after a woman reported seeing a Ford F-350 partially aflame with all doors ajar on the eastbound side of the interstate just before the Waring exit.
Gonzalo Martinez of Seguin is charged with possession of less than a gram of a Penalty Group 1 substance, according to records. More details including bond were not available by press time.
The witness, who asked not to be identified, said the truck had the name of a Seguin construction company plastered on the side. However, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office call sheet from Monday indicates
the flaming truck had “public works” printed on it.
The call sheets indicate the Seguin Public Works Department was contacted by deputies.
The witness said the vehicle was partially on fire when she approached to see if the driver was OK, but she said he fled into nearby woods before she could check on him.
“We saw the guy carrying a skateboard, wearing a hard hat and no shirt, I saw him run away from the vehicle – I assumed to get to safety,” she said. “So, we parked to go check to make sure he wasn’t hurt, but he was gone.”
Before pulling over, the witness said there were several explosions – which she likened to fireworks – inside the vehicle.
“We just pulled up, and the truck wasn’t fully on fire,” she said. “It looked kind of like fireworks were going off inside the truck. So, I guess there was some kind of explosion inside the truck. And all the doors were open, and the hood was open. Then there was a large explosion, and the truck was engulfed with flames.”
Within 15 minutes, firefighters brought the blaze under control.
While Interim Boerne Fire Chief Robert Lee said it’s unclear what ignited the truck, he said, “It was well involved when we got there.”
After 30 minutes, the fire crew extinguished the blaze.
Lee said passersby may have seen sparks resembling fireworks due to an interaction with metal in the truck.
“Some vehicles today have magnesium metal, and other types of metal, that when hit with a water stream, they light up like fireworks,” Lee said. “They kind of splatter and throw very bright fire out.'
About half an hour after the call came in, the suspected operator of the pickup was in custody and in the back of a patrol vehicle.
Seguin officials were unavailable for comment before the Star’s Wednesday press deadline.
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