E-Cigarette May Have Sparked Car Fire at Suburban Walmart: Fire Officials

An e-cigarette may have sparked a fire in a suburban Walmart parking lot that caused a car to burst into flames.

The fire sparked Saturday afternoon in the parking lot of a Walmart on Route 34 in Oswego, with witnesses reporting explosions, tires popping and large flames.

Fire officials believe the blaze started in the glove compartment of one vehicle. 

“Right now everything is pointing to the origin of that fire being in the glove compartment of the center console and there really wasn’t any other heat source in there but that e-cigarette,” said Fire Chief Mike Veseling.

Fire officials hope to use videos taken of the blaze to determine exactly where the fire started and whether the e-cigarette is in fact to blame.

It would not be the first time an e-cigarette has sparked a fire.

There have been reports of the battery powered devices exploding while charging and while being used, leaving the owners with burns and other injuries. 

“Any electronic device has the potential for a concern,” Veseling said.

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