Firefighters respond to three vehicle fires in three hours - East Idaho News
'Very odd'

Firefighters respond to three vehicle fires in three hours

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ST. ANTHONY — It was an unusual Thursday for local firefighters after they responded to three car fires back to back, with almost one hour in between the calls.

Assistant Fire Chief David Fausett with the South Fremont Volunteer Fire Department said none of the car fires were related, and they all happened in different locations.

First vehicle fire

The first call came in at 6:23 p.m. A car was reported to be on fire in the Twin Groves area east of St. Anthony, Fausett said. The owner reported that as she was traveling on 2700 East, her 2012 Cadillac started to shake. She pulled over, and the car burned.

Fausett said the car was a total loss.

Second vehicle fire

He said as firefighters finished that call and they were parking back at the fire station, they were paged to another vehicle fire in Chester at 7:22 p.m. In this case, a 2005 Chevrolet pickup parked at a home caught fire.

He told EastIdahoNews.com that the reporting party said she heard a popping noise outside. She then saw the pickup ablaze. This vehicle was a total loss.

Third vehicle fire

After that call, they were paged at 8:26 p.m. to the Wilford area to a car fire on 2400 East.

The reporting party said that while driving a Pontiac G6, she noticed a smoke smell. Fausett said she pulled over to investigate, and the vehicle started to burn.

Again, the vehicle was a total loss.

An odd occurrence

Fausett said the fire department has responded to car fires several times before, even two in one day. Still, this situation was different.

“Three vehicle fires, each an hour apart, is a very odd occurrence,” Fausett said. “I have never been involved in something like it in my firefighting career.”

The causes of the three car fires are unknown. All of the cars were fueled by gasoline and were not electric. He added the vehicles were all around the same age — early 2000s.

No injuries were reported. An ambulance came to check out the person involved in the first incident, but she was fine, Fausett said.

car fires 2
South Fremont Volunteer Fire Department responded to three separate vehicle fires Thursday evening. | Courtesy South Fremont Volunteer Fire Department

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