Car fire reported at Municipal Building

car fire

San Benito firefighters observe a vehicle that caught fire behind the Municipal Building on Tuesday. Firefighters extinguished the fire within minutes of arrival. (Staff photo by Heather Cathleen Cox)

By HEATHER CATHLEEN COX
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com 

A car fire was reported behind the San Benito Municipal Building on Tuesday.

At approximately 1 p.m. on Nov. 27, a Brownsville woman noticed smoke accompanied by the smell of fire while operating her motor vehicle, a Mini Cooper. The vehicle operator continued driving until she reached the Municipal Building. She parked the vehicle in a parking lot and reportedly alerted the fire department.

San Benito firefighters responded within two minutes of receiving the call at 1:08 p.m. Operations Chief Raul Zuniga of the San Benito Fire Department said flames were emitting from underneath the hood of the vehicle upon firefighters’ arrival.

According to Zuniga, first-responding firefighters applied a fire extinguisher to the vehicle before a fire truck arrived, at which time the blaze was extinguished. Zuniga said he estimates the damages around $15,000, which could result in the Mini Cooper being deemed a total loss.

Regarding the cause of the fire, Zuniga said, “We think it may have been some sort of electrical malfunction.”

The vehicle owner, who did not want to be named, had the car towed.

Vehicle fires are somewhat common in San Benito, Zuniga commented. He said, “We had one small fire on Monday, and we had one last Friday, which was fatal.” Additionally, the department responded to one vehicle fire in October, three in September and two in August.”

Read this story in the Nov. 28 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.sbnewspaper.com/2012/11/27/car-fire-reported-at-municipal-building/

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