Insane Car Fire in Lubbock [VIDEO]
Cars burn a little different than they do in the movies.
I decided to come in to work a little early this morning to facilitate some guest bookings when I saw smoke off to the side of the interstate. This is not completely unusual for this area since it is mostly industrial. Still, something struck me as wrong.
I hooked it back to the location of the smoke (because there was tons of it) and found a huge fire by the side of the street. I initially thought it was a dumpster, but then I saw an open door and realized it was a car. I called 911 at about 3:45 a.m. and told them the location, which was about 21st & Ave. E. Then, I did some filming.
Filming a car on fire is not for the timid. This car was already fully engulfed, so I was relatively sure that the gas tank had already blown, but what you don't see in the movies is the flare-ups and mini-explosions that happen.
Around 4 a.m., an employee from the cotton warehouse rolled in and I talked to him. He said someone lived inside the body shop (which is a little worrisome) and they had been working on that car the day before. I asked the fireman with a badge if he needed us, he shouted back "no," so I took off.
My apologies if this sounds a bit too much like a statement, but I'm kind of hoping it is. Here's to Lubbock Fire Rescue. It takes a lot more than you think to put out a serious car fire. From what I saw, they used water, then chemicals, and appeared to be going back to water when I was leaving.
Also, as you can see in the above video, it was very concerning that that grass was burning toward an area with more cars. If it wasn't for LFR's quick action, we could be looking at a lot more losses in this fire.
I hope everyone is safe and accounted for.
**MEDIA WARNING: This video may not be used unless credited to "Legendary Number One Morning Air Personality, Co-host of The RockShow And All-Around Swell Guy, Wes Nessman."**