WASHINGTON — A quick-thinking child playing in front of an apartment complex in Washington on Friday alerted a resident to her truck catching fire in the complex parking, potentially averting further destruction from the blaze. The owner of the vehicle put in an immediate call to 911, which gave time for neighbors to move their vehicles away from the truck before an explosion fully engulfed it in flames.
Just after 4 p.m. on Friday a young girl, Summer Milner, was playing in front of her residence at The Pearl complex at 42 W. 500 North in Washington. She initially noticed fluid leaking from a red Ford F-150 pickup truck in the covered parking lot in front of the apartments, Milner said.
Seconds later smoke began rising from the Ford, and she ran up the stairs and knocked on the apartment door of the truck’s owner, Sadie Lawrence, alerting her to the smoke coming from the vehicle.
Lawrence then ran downstairs while calling 911 to report the fire. Neighbors, hearing the commotion, quickly came out of their apartments and began moving their vehicles away from the truck that was now engulfed in flames, Lawrence said.
As Lawrence was attempting to extinguish the fire with her neighbors, a loud explosion erupted from the engine area, and everyone backed off at that point and waited for firefighters to arrive, Lawrence said.
“When we heard the explosion,” Lawrence said, “I was maybe ten feet away.”
Emergency personnel quickly responded to the complex and firefighters began dousing the truck with water, fully extinguishing the fire after several minutes, Lawrence said.
“The police officer responded first, almost immediately,” Lawrence said. “He was nearby when he heard the call, and came right away.”
“No one else was in front of the apartments when the truck first started smoking,” Lawrence said. “So who knows what would have happened if that little girl hadn’t come knocking at my door.”
The torched truck was then towed from the scene. No injuries were reported.
Washington City Fire Department and Washington City Police Department responded to the scene.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by witnesses and may not contain the full scope of findings. An official statement was not available at the time of this report.
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Covered parking structure where truck fire broke out,
42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Ford pickup truck that caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Interior of Ford pickup truck that caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Front tire area of Ford pickup truck were fluid was leaking, then caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Front of Ford pickup truck were fluid was leaking, then caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Red Ford pickup truck caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Firefighters examining Ford pickup truck that caught fire at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Ford pickup truck owner Sadie Lawrence, after the fire was extinguished at 42 W. 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Summer Milner, who alerted the truck owner to the fire at The Pearl complex at 42 W. 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News Summer Milner, who alerted the truck owner to the fire, at apartment complex, 42 W 500 North, Washington, Utah, Feb. 26, 2016| Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
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You Go Girl✌?️. Awesome
Good job, Summer!