Poulsbo: Engine fire scorches truck in Central Market parking lot

Published 12:26 pm Friday, March 5, 2010

Poulsbo firefighters extinguished an engine fire in the Central Market parking lot shortly before noon Friday.

The Ford F250 apparently caught fire while its owner, a 41-year-old Poulsbo woman, was shopping inside, Poulsbo Fire spokeswoman Jody Matson said. A bystander called 9-1-1.

Poulsbo firefighters used a power saw and pry bar to open the truck’s hood, then extinguished a small flame inside the engine compartment. Poulsbo Battalion Chief Bruce Peterson said hood releases burn off quickly in engine fires, so hoods usually have to be forced open.

The cause of the fire was not yet determined, Peterson said.

The owner of the truck told Matson the vehicle had smelled overheated before she parked at the store.