A stationary BMW burst into flames and destroyed a house in Wesley Chapel, North Carolina.
WSOCTV reports that Union County fire officials quickly determined that the BMW was the cause of the inferno. According to the officials, the car caught fire despite being turned off and parked in the garage of the property.
Fire Marshal Kevin Rigoli siad that the homeowner opened the garage door to take the car out and run some errands. However, upon opening the garage, she encountered powerful flames that were wreaking havoc on the BMW (the model was not disclosed).
Fire Marshal says it took an hour and 40 firefighters to get this fire on Couples Court in Wesley Chapel under control.
Homeowner was inside but thankfully got out just in time. No injuries. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/xgtymtaqPf— Stephanie Tinoco (@STinocoWSOC9) April 27, 2018
By the time local firefighters could arrive on scene to battle the flames, much of the house was on fire. It took roughly 80,000 gallons of water before it was extinguished.
This isn’t the first time a BMW has been discovered to spontaneously combust. In fact, an ABC investigation last year found more than 40 cases of BMWs catching fire in the U.S. in the last five years.
In November 2017, the German automaker announced that it would recall 1.4 million vehicles in the United States due to fire risks. The affected vehicles are 3-Series, 5-Series, X5s, X3s and Z3s built between 2006 and 2011, and either have wiring in the air conditioning system which can overheat or may suffer a short circuit of the positive crankcase ventilation valve which could cause the PCV to melt and catch fire.
Fire investigators say they will know if the BMW in question was involved in this recall by Monday.
