Police Cruiser Totaled Following Car Fire in Front of Police Station

A police cruiser, and about $30,000 worth of equipment, were destroyed early Saturday after it caught on fire in the parking lot in front of the police department, officials said.

The cause of the blaze was unknown, though it appeared accidental, Police Chief Michael Kehoe said.

The cruiser was parked with the trunk facing Main Street and its engine, which faced the police department, turned off, officials said. At some point and for some unknown reason, a fire began in the engine area under the hood, police said. The fire appeared to have smoldered for some time before engulfing the rest of the vehicle, police said.

"It was smoking pretty badly," said Kehoe, who was alerted to the incident and briefed on what happened later.

At about 1:30 a.m., a passer-by alerted police, who then called firefighters from the Hook and Ladder Volunteer Co. to the scene.

The fire burned so intensely that nearby vehicles received heat damage and had to be moved to prevent the blaze from spreading, officials said.

"That's the first time I remember a car fire (involving a police cruiser)," Kehoe said, adding that he believed it also was the first time a car parked in front of the police department had caught on fire.

The vehicle, which had about 105,000 miles logged on it, was scheduled to be replaced in about a month, Kehoe said. However, the vehicle contained a lot of expensive equipment, including a dashboard camera, that now will cost money to replaced, he said, estimating the overall cost to range about $30,000.

"We have to look at what's salvageable," Kehoe said.

It's unclear why no one noticed the fire earlier, police said. The parking lot is under video surveillance. Police officers would have changed shifts at about midnight.

Fire Marshal Bill Halstead said the blaze appeared to have been caused by a vehicle malfunction.

Deputy Fire Marshal Rich Frampton said even though the police car engine was turned off, the battery and other systems in the engine compartment were likely still operating.

He said officials were investigating how long the car had been parked in the lot and when it was last in operation, Frampton said. The midnight shift did not use the vehicle but officers in an earlier shift may have, he said.

Video surveillance does not show anyone approaching the cruiser prior to the fire starting, which is why officials believe it was an electrical malfunction and not anything deliberately set, Frampton said, adding determining the exact cause will be difficult because the damage was extensive.

"Everything's a big molten mess," he said.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details on damage to other vehicles and comments from Deputy Fire Marshal Rich Frampton.