ST. GEORGE — Crews responded to a vehicle fire that was reported to have spread to nearby condominiums Friday afternoon.
When first responders arrived around 3:45 p.m., they found that not only did the fire consume one vehicle, but it also damaged the vehicle parked next to it.
“It was reported as a single-vehicle fire in the parking lot of an apartment complex,” St. George Fire Department Battalion Chief Darren Imlay said. “It started to extend into a second vehicle, so the second vehicle has some damage on the side closest to the car.”
The car that originally caught fire is a total loss while the car next to it had some fire damage as well. Crews were initially called to the scene of a vehicle fire, but then they were told that the structure in front of the parked car was also on fire.
Due to this, firefighters responded as if there was a structure fire, which led to a quick response. Police departments who were first on scene cleared out the apartment and evacuated the buildings near the vehicle.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Imlay also said someone at the apartment complex parked in front of the fire hydrant on scene. He said this is a big issue for the department because it impacts response times.
“We had a person park in front of this fire hydrant, and it could have caused us a real problem,” Imlay said. “Just be aware. These hydrants are located in spots that are really advantageous to us. If they’re covered by vehicles and we either can’t see them or can’t get to them, it could delay us and cause a problem.”
The person that parked in front of the fire hydrant was cited by the police department.
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