Dry Leaves Destroyed 3-4 Cars Per Year In 1 Essex County Town: Fire Chief

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Who would have thought that parking on piles of dry leaves can actually destroy your car? It used to happen in one Essex County town three to four times each year, although the instances are decreasing, the fire chief of that town said this week in an effort to warn area residents.

(It also happened in an episode of "The Sopranos," in which Anthony Junior parked on a dry leaf pile and it set his vehicle aflame. That kid just couldn't catch a break.)

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"Luckily, we have not lost any cars in the past couple of years due to leaves," said Chris Mullin, the fire chief for nearby Livingston, on Tuesday, "but we have in the past."

In fact, in the past, that community would lose "three to four" cars each year, the chief said, but awareness has cut the number.

Mullin said that “car fire season,” occurs in October and November, because cars park on piles of leaves left curbside for pickup.

He said the catalytic converter, which converts gases from the car into more environmentally friendly gases, can heat up the leaves under the car and cause a fire.

Leaf collection programs in many Essex County towns began late last month. In Maplewood, they run through Dec. 6. (Learn about Maplewood leaf collection here.)

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