Small Fire Turns Into Blaze, Destroys Car In Long Valley: Cops

LONG VALLEY, N.J. – A small fire that began under a parked vehicle turned into a blaze that destroyed a Long Valley resident’s SUV Tuesday night, Lt. Doug Compton said.

At 8:01 p.m. Washington Township police responded to a vehicle fire in the driveway of a private residence on East Mill Road. When police and fire personnel arrived they found an SUV fully engulfed in flames, which was extinguished by firefighters, Compton said.

The vehicle was deemed a total loss.

An investigation revealed the owner of the vehicle discovered a small fire under the SUV after parking it and attempted to extinguish the fire himself, but the blaze grew out of control, Compton said. The investigation deemed the fire not suspicious and a result of a mechanical issue.

Photo Courtesy Washington Township Police