About a dozen cars caught fire in St. Paul during Sunday's storm, according to St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.
Cars stuck in snow catch fire as parts overheat
February 22, 2011 at 5:15AM
He said most of the fires probably started when drivers got stuck in the snow and began rocking their vehicles back and forth in an attempt to get free, overheating the transmission and causing engine fires. No one was injured in the blazes.
Sunday's car fires pale in comparison to the 20 car fires recorded during the December storm that dumped almost 20 inches on the Twin Cities. No one was injured in those fires, either.
"That's a lot," Zaccard said of the fire numbers. "It's new this year because of the amount of snow and the number of people getting stuck."
Minneapolis Assistant Fire Chief Cherie Penn said similar cases were reported in Minneapolis in December.
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