Land Rover fire in Costco parking lot results in ‘high-level response’

ST. GEORGE — Firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in a packed Costco parking lot Friday afternoon.

Aftermath of a vehicle fire in the Costco parking lot in St. George, Utah, Oct 21, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

Two fire engines, a ladder truck and 10 firefighters rolled out to deal with the fire, which was reported around 3 p.m., St. George Fire Battalion Chief Robert Hooper said at the scene.

“The exposure to multiple vehicles and not knowing if (the car) was near the fuel islands” prompted a high-level of response, he said.

Fortunately, Hooper said, the vehicle – a Land Rover LR3 –  had been parked far enough away from nearby cars and Costco’s propane and island and gas station that it posed no threat.

Sending out what may be considered a large response to a fire, even a potentially small one, is a common practice for firefighters based on a variety of factors known and unknown. The closeness of the fire to hazardous materials or a spot densely packing with buildings or other vehicles is among the factors taken into consideration.

The driver of the Land Rover told firefighters that he began to see smoke coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle when he pulled into the Costco parking lot. That smoke was quickly overtaken by flames that engulfed the front of the Land Rover.

The driver stopped the car and got out without injury, Hooper said.

The fire was extinguished within a minute and remained concentrated in the engine compartment. As for the cause, Hooper said coming to a conclusion when a vehicle fire is involved is never easy.

“It’s really hard to pinpoint it unless (the driver’s) given us some kind of lead,” Hooper said, adding that lead could be something like the owner having work being done on the vehicle recently.

While the fire occurred near the main entrance into the Costco warehouse, which sits at 835 N 3050 E, no one was harmed during the incident.

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