The Nissan SUV sitting in the driveway ignited and subsequently exploded.
A woman believed her house was being broken into with a sledgehammer, so she woke her husband up and yelled, "Something's wrong!" He then rushed downstairs and shouted, "Call 911, the car's on fire!" The family's doorbell camera captures the moment before the fire ignites and engulfs their Nissan Murano.
The origin of the fire in the Murano is still a mystery, and Nissan is investigating it. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also involved in gathering info about this incident.
According to a Nissan spokesperson, their top priority is the safety and well-being of their customers. They have initiated an investigation into this incident.
The Muranos of the Hills were recalled by Nissan in 2016 and 2019, due to a potential issue that could lead to brake fluid leakage and ignition of a fire, even with the car turned off. Back then, car owners were advised to park their vehicles away from buildings, considering the risks of fire.
An online search on the NHTSA website indicated an unattended recall on the Hills' Murano. They stated that a fire investigator suggested the untended recall could be the reason for the fire. However, the Hills recalled getting the necessary repairs done and provided CNN with a photo of the receipt from a local Nissan dealership, showing the repair had been completed. CNN has yet to confirm if the receipt is authentic.
The Hills stated that since the recall work had been finished, a fire was the last thing on their minds.
Philip Hill had been working in his garage, causing their two cars to be parked in the driveway. Had it not been so, the Murano would have been inside the garage connected to their home.
"As you can see from the video, that vehicle is so close to the house," Philip Hill told CNN. "Minutes later, the house could have gone up."
The garage door melted due to the flames, they said. The Hills attribute their escape and the safety of their three children to their neighbor's dog, who alerted her and called 911 before the family could.
The intense flames from the burning Nissan damaged the side of their other vehicle, a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-class, rendering it unusable.
In the beginning, the Hills pondered if they had fallen victim to vandalism. However, the footage from their Nest doorbell camera provided evidence that the car had spontaneously combusted.
Nissan acquired possession of the Murano on Wednesday for further examination, as reported by the Hills.
Despite how unusual the Hills' situation might appear, vehicle fires are not rare. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there were 188,500 car and truck fires in the US in 2022 – around 500 per day. In that year, these fires caused 610 civilian deaths.
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The Hills expressed concerns about the proximity of the burning Murano to their house, as they mentioned, "Minutes later, the house could have gone up." Despite the incident, Nissan's business continues to be focused on customer safety, with a spokesperson stating, "Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our customers."
Source: edition.cnn.com
