Vehicle fire puts nearby house at risk

A vehicle fire caused by an engine malfunction Monday afternoon was put out before it could spread to a nearby home.

Boone County Fire Protection District firefighters responded to the fire that began when Sherry Copeland, the owner of the vehicle, a 1991 Ford Explorer, tried to start the broken-down SUV in the driveway of a house at 490 E. Winters St., Task Force 1 Leader Doug Westhoff said.

The vehicle’s engine compartment caught fire, and Copeland called 911, Westhoff said. He said five fire engines and five administrative vehicles responded to the blaze because it could have escalated into a house fire.

“Because (the vehicle) was so close to the house, it warranted the full response as though the house was on fire,” Westhoff said.

Firefighters only needed a few minutes to put out the blaze, but Westhoff said the vehicle was likely to be a total loss.

The responding vehicles included a cooling van equipped with fans and cold water to help firefighters stay on their feet in the heat. The temperature at the time of the blaze was 96 degrees, with a heat index of over 100.

No one was injured in the blaze. The vehicle’s owner, her two grandchildren and another woman were present in the threatened house but went to a neighbor’s house when the fire started.