Fire Department

Engine Company 5 responded to a vehicle fire after callers described heavy black smoke and fluid pouring from a vehicle parked in a lot along S. Stoughton Road.

Fire consumed the engine compartment as firefighters approached the vehicle. Just as the crew prepared to deploy their bumper line, a jet of pressurized flaming fluid sprayed to the ground from under the hood, indicating to firefighters that a fuel line blew. Engine 5 forced open the hood, applied a foam/water mixture on to the fire, and fully extinguished it.

The owner said he left the car running while he stepped into a store. Due to ongoing battery issues, the owner was afraid that his car would not turn back on if he turned it off. When he returned from the store five minutes later, he found the vehicle on fire.

The fire did not appear to be suspicious. Although the exact cause of this fire was not determined, firefighters noted that this vehicle, a 2000 Grand Prix, was the subject of a recall issued in 2015 due to fire risk. The owner had not taken the vehicle in for the prescribed recall-related repairs.