Car Fire North of Smithfield
By Matthew K. Jensen
Published: Saturday, November 21, 2009 4:55 AM CST at the Herald Journal
A 16-year-old Richmond teen escaped his burning pickup truck on U.S. Highway 91 on Friday afternoon while driving home from Sky View High School.
Ivan Sheffer said he was traveling northbound in his 1992 Ford Ranger XLT at around 1:30 p.m. when he heard a “thud” from the engine compartment and began losing power. He says he coasted to the shoulder of the northbound lanes, got out and noticed smoke and flames under the hood of his small truck after looking through the grill. He said he knew not to open the hood because it would have fueled the fire with more oxygen.
Seconds later, he said, the vehicle was engulfed in flames and sending a column of black smoke into the air that was visible for miles.
Sheffer said he grabbed his backpack and ran a few yards south of the blaze for safety. He and other witnesses reported hearing and seeing small explosions inside the truck. The steering wheel and front emblem were seen on the road several feet from the burning vehicle. Sheffer was not injured in the fire.
A motorist stopped and helped the teen call his parents, who responded to the area north of Smithfield in just minutes.
Sheffer’s father, Don Sheffer, said the truck burned for about 20 minutes and was completely destroyed.
Smithfield Fire Chief Jay Downs said firefighters were on the scene and extinguished the flames. He said the cause of vehicle fires is difficult to determine, and that this case is no different.
“It’s an undetermined mechanical fire at this point,” said Downs. “All we know is that it originated under the hood.”
Downs pointed out that the truck was leaking some type of fluid onto the roadway that left a visible trail for at least a quarter mile down the highway.
Sheffer said he wasn’t harmed during the fire and couldn’t help but smile at what happened.
“It was the first excitement in my life,” he said. “I guess we’ll go car shopping.”
The teen was traveling on a nearly empty tank of gas and gave his mother back a handful of cash she had given him earlier for gas money. The family laughed about the episode that left no one injured.
Downs said the vehicle is a total loss. He placed the value of the truck at about $1,000.
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