Fire Damages Jeep, Trailers

A fire on Trinity School Rd. west of La Grange Wednesday destroyed a Jeep and damaged several travel trailers.

La Grange Volunteer Fire Department received a call around 1:30 p.m. reporting a explosion, black smoke and people running from a fire. Upon arrival, firefighters found a Jeep engulfed with flames. The fire spread to tall grass on the property, which carried the flames to several travel trailers that were parked nearby.

The Jeep was hooked to a trailer. The owner of the Jeep, Lori Weidemann of Ledbetter, said she was at the property to collect scrap metal. Weidemann said someone had lit a small trash fire on the property before she arrived.

“There was a small little fire, a contained fire, while I was working,” she said. “While I walked away, I guess a gust of wind came and it started burning under my Jeep.”

She found some buckets of water near the fire and tried putting out the fire, but it kept burning the dry grass. Weidemann said she got in the Jeep to drive it away, but it wouldn’t start.

“I got in through the passenger side to get to the driver’s seat,” she said. “It wouldn’t go anywhere. I was breathing in all the smoke and I thought, this might not be a good idea. What if the Jeep blows up?”

Weidemann said she got out as flames started coming up through the floorboard. The fire ignited the gas tank and eventually blew out the tires. The fire spread to the parked travel trailers by the time firefighters arrived. Weidemann said the Jeep was insured.

Several people who live in the travel trailers were at the property, but the property owner was not there.

Fayette County EMS and the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.