Smoking Vehicle Summons Firefighters To Downtown Lot

The Madison Fire Department was dispatched to the 100 block of N. Blair Street Monday morning when a neighbor reported smoke in the area. While en route, the Dane County 911 Communications Center informed responding companies that there was a vehicle fire in the rear parking lot of the address.
 
Moderate smoke was coming from the engine compartment of a 1999 Dodge Durango when Engine Company 3 and Ladder Company 1 arrived. Firefighters forced open the doors to gain access to the vehicle and open the hood in an attempt to find the source of the smoke.
 
Though the smoke appeared to be contained to the engine compartment, firefighters struggled to find where it was actually coming from. Portable water extinguishers were used to attempt to cool the area and stop the smoke, but those attempts were unsuccessful. They eventually turned to the use of the bumper line from Engine 3 to spray water and foam, but the smoke persisted.
 
The air filter housing, spark plug wires, and plastic covering to the inner passenger-side wheel well were all removed in an attempt to better penetrate the suspected source of the smoke. That’s when firefighters were finally able to put an end to the smoke.
 
The vehicle’s owner was working near the Capitol Square at the time of the incident and returned to the parking lot as firefighters were cleaning up. He informed firefighters he’d just picked up the vehicle from a local muffler shop, where he had the entire exhaust system replaced.