Charitable donor has vehicle ignite in St. George; fast response prevents building fire

Written by Nick Yamashita
September 30, 2023

ST. GEORGE — Fast response time is being credited with the prevention of fire spreading to a Deseret Industries building on Saturday when an elderly woman making a donation saw her vehicle go up in smoke and flames.

A Ram truck caught on fire while making a donation at Deseret Industries in St. George, Utah, Sept. 30, 2023 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St. George News

St. George Police Officer Zach Muckenthaler said St. George firefighters arrived on the scene and had the vehicle fire out in under five minutes. The call came in at approximately 10:08 a.m. and the fire was out by 10:11 a.m. He added both police officers and both fire units were stationed nearby.

The woman driver said she was dropping off some items for donation when she heard a loud pop. The Dodge Ram 1500 truck started smoking a “deep thick white smoke,” as described by donation drive-thru workers who witnessed the incident.

The flames remained mainly concealed under the hood of the truck, burning up and melting parts of the engine. The fire investigation will fully determine the cause. However, the woman alleged she had just gotten her battery replaced, Muckenthaler added.

St. George Firefighters said the official cause is unknown. The woman was the sole occupant of the Ram. She had two extinguishers within the Ram, one of which was used while the other did not work.

Muckenthaler said it was a good idea for drivers to have an extinguisher within their vehicle for such emergencies, adding he has seen times when a vehicle is fully engulfed by fire within seconds.

Store manager Dave Stephenson reported no damage to the store, including none to the porte-cochère which was more prone to damage.

The donation drive-thru located at the north side of the store off Red Cliffs Drive was closed while the fire was battled, towed and clean up was done. No injuries were reported.

The scene was cleared and the drive-thru was reopened by 11:02 a.m. after the Ram was towed by Harrison Towing.

This report is based on preliminary statements from law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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