"Routine" Car Fire

On the evening of November 2, Battalion 2 was activated for a possible vehicle fire. Engine 21 (Lt. Naum) and BC2 (J. Wisnowski) arrived together to a fully involved engine compartment fire.  Fire control was advised to "fill the box" due to the location of the vehicle, four feet from the residence and a wood staircase leading to the front door. Complicating the firefighting effort was  pick-up truck (snow covered) parked next to the involved car.

What was thought to be a "Routine" car fire quickly escalated and now the effort was put forth to extinguish before extension occured.  After the hood was popped to gain access to the engine compartment the gas line ruptured.  Subsequent to the initial knockdown, (using water, dry-chem and CO extinguishers) and a downgrade in the alarm, the fuel re-ignited and started to travel down the driveway into the street.   T2 officer (Lt. Barnes) assisted in securing the gas line, while E41(Lt. Zeppetello) was called in to supply E21 with back-up water.  R3 (Cpt. Wisely) was called back to place booms and control the spill of gasoline.

After the fire was determined out, and the spill contained, crews critiqued the operations.  After discussion it was determined that teamwork and level heads played a significant role in mitigating the situation.  As each new challenge presented itself, the officer and crew assigned to the task performed as expected and one by one each challenge was dealt with.

We hear the saying "there is no such thing as a routine call" and this "routine" car fire call helps drive home the point.  When all was done, the vehicle involved incurred heavy damage to the engine compartment with extension to the front of the car.  The pick-up truck received some minor heat damage and no damage was sustained by the structure or wood steps.