Over 30 Cars, Including a Classic Mercedes SL, Destroyed in Houston Parking Lot Fire
Houston officials are investigating a massive fire that started in the parking lot of an apartment complex and destroyed approximately 30 cars.
The fire started on Monday, October 14, in the early hours of the morning; the first flames were reported at 3:47 a.m. While it doesn’t sound like anyone was injured, local news outlets report that about 30 cars were lost in the blaze. Pictures posted on X and by various Houston-based news outlets show a sea of torched late-model sedans and SUVs as well as at least one classic—an R107-generation Mercedes-Benz SL.
Motorists who lost a car in the fire are wondering who is going to compensate them. “I asked the manager who is going to pay for all of this and she just told me there was nothing she can do about it,” Chanirae Benedicts, whose Ford Taurus burned, told Click2Houston. Yousef Alkhatip lost his dream car, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and told the publication he’s worried about what happens next because the car wasn’t insured.
The investigation into how the fire started is underway, and firefighters have already ruled out several potential causes, including arson. Instead, they believe that “an electrical problem in one single car” started the fire, unnamed Houston Fire Department officials told Click2Houson. Another source blamed the blaze on “an electrical or mechanical issue from one of the burned cars” in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. Figuring out the source of the blaze is crucial, as it will likely determine who (or whose insurance company) pays for the damage caused by the fire.
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