Webb, Elaine

October 26, 2021 Lynchburg Fire Department News Story Thing

A Lynchburg man accidentally lit his car on fire at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Karstens
Drive parking lot using lit charcoals to defrost his car from the underside but no other
vehicles were affected.

John Robinson called 911 after barely escaping his burned Chevy Express minivan.
Robinson’s vehicle had been frozen for several days and decided to place charcoals on top
of a baking pan in order to thaw out the vehicle. Shortly after, the engine caught fire and
spread throughout the vehicle.

“I grew up using this car hack,” Robinson said. “It doesn’t matter to me if the firefighters
say not to.”

Fire Chief Smith Bennett immediately warned Robinson of future consequences as the
method was illegal and dangerous. The Lynchburg Fire Department also came out and
said that no one should attempt to repeat this experiment. They stated that a frozen
vehicle is better than not having one at all.

“We encourage vehicle owners to follow safety guidelines in car maintenance during this
snow storm.” Chief Bennett said. “It might take more patience, but the risk of setting a
fire and killing someone is not worth it.”

Others with frozen vehicles should be advised to not attempt to travel until necessary
until the expected storm will pass.