ALPENA TOWNSHIP — No one was hurt as Alpena Township firefighters battled smoke and 100 gallons of fuel at the scene of an excavator fire near U.S.-23 north of Alpena early this afternoon.

Excavator owner Pete Hunter said he was preparing to dig a hole in the wooded area when the machine erupted into flames. Firefighters were there within minutes, he said, but a large diesel fuel tank required caution and the use of a backup water tank to make sure flames didn’t reignite.

A second excavator was used to build a dirt berm around spilled fuel.

“2020, you know,” Hunter said. “It just keeps on giving.”