Fire Destroys SUV

At Queen Street Residence

By Andrew Gorosko

An older SUV that was being readied for a possible sale accidentally caught fire at a Queen Street residence on the morning of Friday, January 6, and was destroyed by the blaze, officials said.

At 10:08 am, Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook firefighters responded to the residence at 52 Queen Street, near Borough Lane, where a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee was reported to be on fire.

The rapidly burning vehicle emitted a plume of black smoke high into the sky that was visible from a distance.

There were no injuries. A damage estimate was not available.

Deputy Fire Marshal Rich Frampton said that resident John Truchsess was planning to sell the SUV to a potential buyer.

On the previous night, Mr Truchsess had gotten the vehicle running after it had not been in use for awhile, Mr Frampton explained.

While Mr Truchsess was cleaning the running vehicle’s interior in preparing to show the SUV to a potential buyer, Mr Truchsess  saw some smoke come out from underneath the dashboard, Mr Frampton said.

Not having a fire extinguisher on hand, Mr Truchsess then called for firefighters to put out the blaze, according to the deputy fire marshal.

The fire apparently started due to some equipment malfunction with the vehicle, Mr Frampton said.

The blaze which occurred at the property’s driveway did not spread to any structures.