By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
The New Haven Register
SEYMOUR, Conn. — A rash of car fires around town recently has kept the Fire Department on its toes.
Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz said Wednesday volunteers have responded to four car fires over the last eight days, the last on Tuesday.
He said that’s “an unusually high” number of car fires in a short period. However, Wetowitz said no fire was intentionally set and there’s no car arsonist on the loose.
“We are not car experts, but the fires were not deliberately set,” Wetowitz said. “They were all general type fires that appeared to have started from the engine compartments. All were different types of car manufacturers and models.”
Seymour Board of Education Chairman Yashu Putorti rushed home from work Tuesday to find his daughter’s 2010 Chevy S-10 pickup “burnt to a crisp” in the driveway of his Greenwood Circle home.
Fortunately, Putorti said, his daughter backed the truck in; otherwise, the flames could have spread to the house.
“She drove home from New Haven and parked in the driveway, went in the house, and saw smoke going past the window,” Putorti said. “She looked outside and saw her truck on fire.”
Putorti said the truck was a total loss, and “there is no way of telling what started it.”
All the burned cars, fortunately, were parked outside.
Wetowitz said the best advice for preventing car fires is keeping up with regular maintenance.
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