Ground employee reported a tug caught on fire while towing a commercial aircraft. The fire was big enough that it caught the nose gear of the aircraft before it was put out.

Narrative

Super Tug X was towing a B767-300; from the hanger blast fence to the Air Carrier X remote pad to accommodate the use of the blast fence. While under tow the Super Tug team noticed the tug was smoking and losing power and had the awareness to pull into Spot XX; the Terminal X ramp area. They were almost clear of Taxiway 12 and lost all power and noticed they were on fire. They made the appropriate calls to the FAA tower to alert them of the situation and then quickly exited the tug. The tug had a large enough fire to catch the nose gear area of the B767 on fire as well. The fire was put out and spill cleaned as there was hydraulic fluid on the ground. After some work the team was able to release the Super Tug from the aircraft and another Super Tug was dispatched to finish the move after Aircraft Maintenance confirmed it was safe to tow. Super Tug X is one of our oldest pieces of equipment with well over 40;000 moves on it and is in desperate need of being refurbished or replaced as it has become as it has become a safety hazard; and frequently out of service.