North Bend firefighters check out a Caterpillar tractor that caught fire Friday afternoon at the Oregon Chip Terminal on Tremont Avenue along the North Bend waterfront. World Photo by Lou Sennick

North Bend fire fighters helped extinguish a small blaze that flared up Friday on a bulldozer at the Oregon Chip Terminal.

According to North Bend Assistant Fire Chief Jim Brown, the emergency call came in around 2:15 that a Caterpillar D8N was on fire.

“What it was, was one of the cats pushing the chips got some chips piled on the exhaust and caught fire,” Brown said.

About 10 firefighters, one engine and two staff vehicles responded, Brown said. However, terminal workers quelled most of the fire before firefighters arrived.

“Everything was contained within the cat itself,” Brown said, adding that the exhaust is located in the engine department in front of the cat driver.

“It was not a real substantial fire,” Brown said.

According to Oregon Chip Terminals General Manager Dave Aki, the bulldozer, which is used to flatten chip piles, sustained about $10,000 in damage. A worker was cleaning up the heavy equipment when he noticed smoke coming out of the chip mover.

The bulldozer was the only property damaged at the terminal, Aki said.