Chilmark firefighters quickly extinguished an engine fire in a car on Sunday afternoon.
The Chilmark Fire Department received a report of a car fire around 3:40 pm. Chilmark Fire Chief Manuel Rose told The Times that first responders arrived at the Chilmark Post Office six minutes after the call, and the fire was extinguished in eight minutes. JWL Transport was preparing to tow the charred vehicle after 4:30 pm.
“No injuries, so that’s good,” Rose said.
Rose said the driver of the car, a 1988 Jeep Wagoneer, stated that the car overheated while he was driving, and then the engine caught fire.
Rose noted the vehicle was an older model that was rarely used by the driver, who arrived on the Island Friday, so there may have been an underlying issue before the engine caught fire. Rose added that higher temperatures, like during those over the weekend, can contribute to vehicle fires for old models that can’t cool down as quickly.
This isn’t the first car fire this summer. Last month in West Tisbury, an engine fire engulfed a truck in flames.t Tisbury, an engine fire engulfed a truck in flames.
Gas cars can catch on fire?
Should they be banned?