Loose Cardboard Nearly Starts Vehicle Fire

on the road.

Thursday night, Dec. 26, around 8 p.m., the Schulenburg Volunteer Fire Department got a call reporting a fire under a pickup truck in the Whataburger parking lot.

Fire Chief Darren Guentert said the driver had run over a piece of cardboard while driving on Interstate 10. The cardboard became lodged under the pickup and was apparently touching the muffler or exhaust pipe.

Guentert said the cardboard was not able to ignite while the vehicle was traveling at interstate speed. But when the pickup slowed down to exit in Schulenburg, the cardboard caught fire.

Guentert said the driver was able to pull the burning cardboard out from under the pickup. He said the fire was already out by the time firefighters arrived.