Fire Department

The owner of a gray two-door Ford Mustang says his car was running fine until late July. That’s when major storms hit the Madison area and flooded the lot where it’d been parked. Water was reportedly up to the door handles, and the car just never ran the same ever since.

Running rough, unable to accelerate, often smelling like something’s burning, and difficult to shift from ‘Park’ to ‘Drive,’ this vehicle needed a check-up, stat!
 
The car was brought to the repair shop multiple times, but all attempts to diagnose the mechanical ailments turned up empty.
 
Around 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, the car was running poorly again. The driver noted a smoke smell coming from around his right hip, the gear shift area. He drove over to the mechanic once again.

Too busy to deal with the issue at the moment, the mechanic parked the car on the street, locked it up, and let it rest there until it could be serviced.

A while later, the mechanic turned his attention to the Mustang, but when he walked up he found it filling with brown smoke. He dialed 911, and Ladder Company 7 was soon on its way.

Madison Police blocked off the street and directed firefighters to the parked Mustang. There were no flames visible from the engine or trunk compartment when Ladder 7 pulled up at 2:37 p.m., but smoke continued to fill the interior, confined by locked doors and rolled-up windows.
 
The crew put on their self-contained breathing masks just as the mechanic offered up a key. One firefighter unlocked the door so another could cool the interior with an attack line.

A pair of burning underwear was found on the passenger seat, producing a small fire the size of a kitchen plate. Turning the attack line toward the seat, firefighters wet the underpants and kept fire damage contained to that area.
 
After all fire was out, the Mustang was turned back over to the owner. It’s unknown whether he wishes to pursue further repairs.