Car fire put out quickly

MOSES LAKE — A car fire Monday afternoon in the 4300 block of Miller Street Northeast was put out quickly thanks to Moses Lake Fire Department.

“(When) we showed up it was in fact fully involved,” said Moses Lake Fire Department Battalion Chief J.R. Schwendeman.

Schwendeman said they don’t know what started the fire but that it was probably accidental. There was video footage of the fire and Schwendeman said it appeared to have started inside the unoccupied car. He noted there were a couple of propane tanks inside the vehicle that were venting when firefighters arrived on the scene.

The fire was put out quickly and no one was injured, although the tarp covering an RV in front of the vehicle had some melted spots from the heat.

Schwendeman said that car fires burn very quickly and advised that people encountering one get away as fast as possible and call 911.

While this fire does not appear to be related to the cold weather, Schwendeman said they get a lot of fire calls in the winter.

“We tend to get a lot of calls for trying to stay warm,” Schwendeman said. “(Such as) furnaces; not changing your furnace filter is a real big one.”

Schwendeman urged people to change their furnace filter, check and change fire alarm batteries and not use anything for indoor heating that isn't designed for it, such as charcoal grills.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.