This just keeps happening…
Another classic car collection has been destroyed by fire, this time in Douglas County, Colorado. We see this kind of thing happen often and it should be a reminder to anyone with a collection to invest in some automatic fire prevention system(s) lest this happens to you.
According to KQEN, the antique cars were being preserved in an aviation hangar in the remote community of Charter Oaks, west of Roseburg. A fire began on September 18 at around 7:45 p.m. Fires spread quickly because cars are a tremendous source of fuel for them.
Callers to the Douglas County Fire District reported that not only had the fire grown quite large rapidly, there were multiple explosions. Those could’ve been from bottled items that acted as fuel, the kinds of things you usually keep around for vehicle maintenance.
By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, the airplane hangar was fully engulfed in flames and the inferno was spreading rapidly to a nearby field, potentially putting other structures in the area at jeopardy. Thankfully, fire crews were able to contain the brush fire, which burned about half an acre.
Nearby, another hangar suffered some exterior damage but was still rescued. We have no idea what was inside that one; it might have contained more automobiles, airplanes, or who knows what else. But despite the fire being put out with the help of five fire engines, three water tenders, and a command vehicle, we do know that the antique car collection was completely destroyed.
The fire might have been put out at the start, or at least prevented from spreading as quickly, if the airplane hangar that was serving as storage for the classic automobile collection had been equipped with a fire suppression system. It would have also been beneficial to have fire detection with remote alert, something that is pretty common these days.