Fire destroys SUV on mountain road, authorities urge caution with hot engines
An SUV overheated and burned down to the frame Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in Farmington Canyon. Six people safely escaped the vehicle.
An SUV overheated and burned down to the frame Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in Farmington Canyon. Six people safely escaped the vehicle.
An SUV overheated and burned down to the frame Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020, in Farmington Canyon. Six people safely escaped the vehicle.
FARMINGTON — Six people escaped a vehicle as it caught fire in Farmington Canyon, prompting advice from authorities on what to do if your car overheats in 100-degree weather.
The Davis County Sheriff’s Office said in an incident report that Humberto Tetelpa and his family were driving up the canyon Saturday when the engine temperature gauge reached the red.
He kept driving and after a few minutes all the Cadillac Escalade’s dashboard gauges went on and the vehicle stopped.
The driver got out to find smoke coming from the engine compartment and the fire spread quickly.
A sheriff’s deputy tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher but the vehicle was engulfed and the flames had ignited roadside brush.
Firefighters arrived and put out the blaze.
“It took quite a bit of time to put out due to the immense heat that had built up,” the sheriff’s report said. “There was nothing left but the frame.”
Local temperatures reached 100 degrees Saturday.
Before heading for the hills, check your gauges and make sure everything is working properly, the Sheriff’s Office counseled in a Facebook post.
If your car starts to overheat, turn off the air conditioner, pull over and call for help, it said.
Mary Keyes, Tetelpa’s mother-in-law, said the fire happened as the SUV neared the top of the canyon and Francis Peak.
She said the engine area went up in flames and the couple was able to get their four children with them out safely as well.
Keyes said her daughter wasn’t able to get her wallet or shoes and the family lost all of its car seats and strollers.
Keyes started a GoFundMe account to help the family pay for replacements.