http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevy-volt-suspected-in-garage-fire.html
y Andrew Ganz
Friday, Apr 15th, 2011 @ 4:50 p.m.
A Chevrolet Volt is being investigated for a fire that destroyed a garage and a custom-made electric vehicle in rural Connecticut.
Authorities have not placed a blame for the fire, although reports out of the area suggest that the Volt is one of several potential suspects. The garage was about 40 years old and it also stored a Suzuki Samurai that had been converted to electric drive by the owners, Storm and Dee Connors.
“I walked outside and looked in the garage door and it was flaming,” Dee Connors told WFSB. “I grabbed a pocketbook so I’d have a cellphone and a driver’s license and a jacket and a pair of slacks. I had no shoes, my feet were freezing.”
Given the age of the home, wiring deterioration is also an obvious suspect.
Reports say that nearly 50 firefighters helped put out the blaze. A fire wall between the house and the garage kept the couple’s belongings safe.
GM responds
General Motors says that it is working with local authorities to track down the root of the fire. The automaker says it has spoken to a fire investigator and that it will be cooperating in the investigation.
GM responded that the Volt has several safety precautions in place designed to prevent fires from occurring should a fault be detected in the charging system. In Leftlane’s own testing, a media fleet Volt was quick to trip one fuse, which in turn shut off charging of the vehicle.
y Andrew Ganz
Friday, Apr 15th, 2011 @ 4:50 p.m.
A Chevrolet Volt is being investigated for a fire that destroyed a garage and a custom-made electric vehicle in rural Connecticut.
Authorities have not placed a blame for the fire, although reports out of the area suggest that the Volt is one of several potential suspects. The garage was about 40 years old and it also stored a Suzuki Samurai that had been converted to electric drive by the owners, Storm and Dee Connors.
“I walked outside and looked in the garage door and it was flaming,” Dee Connors told WFSB. “I grabbed a pocketbook so I’d have a cellphone and a driver’s license and a jacket and a pair of slacks. I had no shoes, my feet were freezing.”
Given the age of the home, wiring deterioration is also an obvious suspect.
Reports say that nearly 50 firefighters helped put out the blaze. A fire wall between the house and the garage kept the couple’s belongings safe.
GM responds
General Motors says that it is working with local authorities to track down the root of the fire. The automaker says it has spoken to a fire investigator and that it will be cooperating in the investigation.
GM responded that the Volt has several safety precautions in place designed to prevent fires from occurring should a fault be detected in the charging system. In Leftlane’s own testing, a media fleet Volt was quick to trip one fuse, which in turn shut off charging of the vehicle.
