Sallisaw Fire Department Capt. Steve Padgett was among the firemen called to douse a car fire Wednesday on Ruth Street. No one was injured in the fire, but the car was destroyed.
Courtney Coble • TIMES
The 16-year-old and her friends were in shock as they stood and watched 13 Sallisaw firefighters extinguish the flames.
Sallisaw Fire Chief Anthony Armstrong said it took the firefighters 15 minutes to put out the flames because the gas tank started leaking.
“The tank gave us a little trouble but after foam was applied we were able to put out the flames in no time,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said the cause of the fire was electrical.
Sandy Hatcher, the girl’s mother, said she bought the car from Blue Ribbon Chevrolet five months ago. She said the day after she brought the car home the stereo shorted out, and the catalytic converter and the ignition switch went out. Hatcher said she took the car back to the dealership where they kept the car for two nights.
After getting it fixed at the dealership Hatcher brought it home and parked it until her daughter passed her driving test.
“This was the second day she drove that car,” Hatcher said about her daughter. “My daughter told me flames were shooting out of the cigarette lighter.”
Hatcher said the three that were in the car jumped out and didn’t grab anything they had in the car.
“They lost all of their personal belongings. They lost their schoolbooks, school work, and cash. They lost it all,” Hatcher said.
“What really terrifies me,” Hatcher said, “is my daughter was in there. What if she couldn’t get out?
“I’m thankful nothing happened to her or her friends though,” Hatcher said.
She said she was upset about the car having so many problems before, but the Blue Ribbon Chevrolet general manager said their used cars are safety checked.
“They (dealership) don’t need to be selling a vehicle if it’s not safe or 100 percent sure it’s fixed,” Hatcher said.
Dwight Spencer, Blue Ribbon Chevrolet general manager, said each vehicle is run through a safety check.
“If anything comes back wrong during a safety check we don’t sell or buy them,” Spencer said.
The dealership extensively checks the vehicle and it’s history,” Spencer said.
Spencer said he is concerned with what happened.
“Its very unfortunate,” he said.
He said he is helping Hatcher and her daughter get back in a car as quickly as possible. Spencer said he brought her a loaner car Thursday morning to help them get back on target while Hatcher’s insurance is deciding what to do.
“We want to make things easier for them and make sure they are taken care of. They are our customers,” Spencer said.
Hatcher said she was grateful for their help.
“I’m not blaming anyone. I’m upset this happened to my daughter’s first car,” Hatcher said.
