Willow Grove Man Burned by Car Fire, Airlifted to Hospital

A Willow Grove man was airlifted to the hospital after he suffered burns from a car fire late Thursday afternoon.

Willow Grove Fire Co. Chief Brian Focht said a car caught on fire behind a house in the 500 block of Bartram Road shortly after 3 p.m. The car’s owner was not in the car when it caught on fire, according to Focht, but he was near the car, and suffered burns to his face and the rest of his body.

A helicopter landed in the Kmart parking lot on Moreland Road to transport the victim to the hospital. Focht said the parking lot was the closest “designated landing zone;” a helicopter needs at least 10,000 square feet to land, according to Focht.

Crews from Willow Grove Fire Co. put out the car fire within minutes, and crews from Willow Grove and Roslyn Fire Co. helped secure the area for the helicopter landing.

Focht said the fire “is not considered suspicious,” but added that the cause is under investigation. He would not say the make and model of the vehicle. 

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