Fire investigators believe car caused blaze

Fire investigators say they’ve found the cause behind yesterday’s fire at a home on 12th Avenue North.

Officials have pinpointed the source of the flames to the homeowner’s brand new vehicle.

“He’s got a brand new car and he said he parked in his driveway and his wife looked out the window and saw it on fire,” said neighbor Ron Torterelo.

It took almost two dozen firefighters from three Lethbridge stations to get the blaze under control.

The fire began at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, completely engulfing the home and vehicle inside the carport.

“We’re fairly confident that it was the vehicle where the origin was,” said Fire Investigator Heath Wright. “With witness statements stating first of all that they saw visible flames coming from the vehicle and under the hood.” Officials say the home is completely destroyed with damage estimated at $400,000.

The home owner’s brand new Chrysler is completely unrecognizable, but it left behind enough evidence to warrant a closer look.

Investigators say now that they’ve determined the fire started inside the car, the vehicle will now go to a team of forensic experts, who will examine it to find out exactly why the blaze started.

“They’ll probably break it down piece by piece and look at everything from the electrical wiring to batteries, engine compartments, any kind of shorting,” added Wright. “There’s many variables in a vehicle that could cause a fire.”

Investigators say the manufacturer will be notified, as well as the owner of the dealership, and any individuals who have completed servicing work to the vehicle.