Vehicle catches fire on city street
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 5, 2015 1:46 PM
Ryan Carpenter was sitting at the intersection of Cashwell Drive and Spence Avenue when he noticed a fire under the hood of his truck.
He immediately hopped out and called 911 -- and waited for the Goldsboro Fire Department.
Engine 2 responded to extinguish the vehicle fire at 10:15 a.m., according to a report obtained from the GFD.
The Goldsboro Police Department also responded to the scene -- arriving before the fire department -- and attempted to put out the fire with fire extinguishers before receiving aid from the fire department, the report said.
The grill and headlights of the black 2000 Ford Ranger were destroyed, but the vehicle was not a total loss. The report said approximately $3,000 worth of damage was done to the truck, and the pickup truck is valued at $5,000.
Carpenter said he had recently installed HID headlights in his truck, and that the wiring had shorted out and caused the fire.
"When you install HID headlights they have to have a special type of wiring," Carpenter said. "You can't wire them straight into the battery because it'll overpower the headlights, so you have to install a second, smaller battery and attach it to a metal charge and wire it up that way. I'm guessing (the wiring) got knocked loose and shorted out."
According to the report, the fire originated on the driver's side headlight area and the control box for the HID lights was burnt out of the truck and laying on the ground upon the fire department's arrival to the scene.
The police department also provided aid in controlling traffic, which was only briefly stalled.