A vehicle caught fire in an apartment complex’s multi-level parking garage in Atlanta, Georgia, which then quickly spread to other cars. The heat buildup was immense, leading to a partial structural collapse.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue stated that the incident occurred on March 20, at a Brookhaven apartment complex on Friday night. Fire crews were called to the Hendrix Apartments at 1000 Barone Avenue around 8:30 p.m.
By the time the firefighters arrived, a vehicle had been burning on the third floor. The temperature increased rapidly, and the fire quickly spread to other nearby cars, as reported by CBS News.
Several vehicles burned, which led to a massive spike in temperature on the third floor. This made it extremely challenging for the firefighters to douse the flames.
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The heat was so intense that officials suspected it could affect the building’s structure, making it too dangerous for the fire crews to control the fire.
Damaged Structure Adds To The Challenge For Firefighters
Later, the fire officials stated that the extreme temperatures caused by multiple cars on fire had led to a partial structural collapse of the building as they tried to contain the blaze.
Fortunately, none of the firefighters were injured despite the multiple dangers involved in the operation, as confirmed by officials after the fire was extinguished. The exact cause of the fire is being investigated.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), U.S. firefighters responded to an estimated annual average of 215,096 vehicle fires across the country from 2018 to 2022, causing 643 civilian deaths and 1,532 civilian injuries.
ConsumerNotice.org states that more than a third of vehicle fires are due to “careless behavior” or accidents, while a quarter of fire incidents were caused by an equipment failure or a heat source in the vehicle. The findings read:
“Heat from powered equipment, the engine or drivetrain, and sparks from friction or electrical arcs account for 2 in 3 vehicle fires. Smoking or some other type of open flame accounts for 7 percent of fires.”
62% of vehicle fires start in the engine, drivetrain, or wheel areas, while 12% of fires are ignited in the passenger compartment. Only a mere 5% of fires originated from the trunk or cargo area.
