About a dozen Hawleyville and Newtown Hook & Ladder volunteer firefighters responded at about 9:51 am on April 27 to a residence at 7 Butternut Ridge, where an old conversion van that was parked in the driveway had caught fire and was burning intensely.

Butternut Ridge is a dead-end side street that extends from Butterfield Road. There were no injuries in the incident.

Learning that the mid-1990s Chevrolet van had some magnesium parts, firefighters employed foam to extinguish the very hot fire, said Hawleyville Fire Chief John Basso. Putting out the fire required about 1,500 gallons of water, which is mixed with a chemical to create the firefighting foam that smothers the blaze.

Using only water to put out a magnesium fire causes that light metal to explode, causing secondary problems.

The van, which was in working order, was parked about 25 feet from the house's attached garage. The fire did not damage the building, Chief Basso said.

Fire Marshal Rich Frampton said the van fire apparently started in its engine compartment. Although a person was home when the fire started, the blaze was reported to firefighters by some landscapers who were working outdoors in the area, he said.

Mr Frampton said the cause of fire is "undetermined," but not suspicious. The blaze may have started due to the gnawing action of rodents chewing on automotive parts, which has been known to cause vehicle fires, he said.