Fire Department

The owner of a 2001 Nissan Maxima was shopping with friends at the west side Woodman’s grocery store Saturday evening when he was surprised to hear his license plate number paged over the intercom system. That’s how he was first alerted that his car was on fire.
 
Ladder Company 2 arrived at 6:57 p.m. to find a vehicle two rows away from the store emitting flames and smoke from the engine compartment. As numerous shoppers stood by, one firefighter forced open the engine compartment so another could douse the fire with foam. The company officer broke open the four side windows to complete the search for occupants inside the vehicle. He confirmed the vehicle was empty.
 
The owner told firefighters his car had approximately 200,000 miles on it, and he outlined the types of repairs that had been done on it in the past. He said he believed there may be an electrical issue with the heating and A/C system, but he did not attempt to use the heat or A/C that day.
 
Upon examining the fire and heat damage left behind, the fire is believed to be accidental in nature and possibly the result of an unspecified electrical fault within the engine compartment, and that insulation ignited and spread to surrounding combustibles.
 
The vehicle has been towed to a local salvage yard.