There are ways to prevent this…
Firefighters responded to a large shed fire in rural Saline County, Kansas on March 10, but by the time the blaze was put out 4 classic cars inside were destroyed. It sounds like quite the fire, with two different fire districts responding. Despite their efforts, the entire building was declared a total loss along with the cars.
Some car thieves almost killed a dealership employee for a BMW. Read about it here.
The owner of the vehicles said he was storing in the shed a 1932 Ford, a fully restored 1946 Studebaker, a 1953 Chevy truck, and a 1939 Studebaker. He told local reporters about $25,000 in tools were also stored in the shed.
Fire officials said their initial investigation indicates an electrical problem sparked the blaze. That’s a sad situation, but it can happen in any structure, so let that be a lesson. The estimated financial loss of this fire is pegged at $186,000.
Situations like this can be prevented, but it requires an up-front investment, but the benefits can far outweigh the costs. If you have collectible cars or even just vehicles with strong sentimental value, installing a fire detection and suppression system is advisable. The vehicles themselves or the tools you might use to work on them can spark a fire, even if you’re careful, so having a way to automatically fight the flames early on can be the difference between a total loss scenario like this and just a little bit of a mess.
Thankfully, this shed was a standalone structure. Had it been a garage attached to a house, there would have been the potential for serious injuries or fatalities. If you keep your cars and tools in the garage, you need to invest in at least some fire extinguishers and good smoke detectors, if not a sprinkler system and more.
