- Authorities believe the fire started with an electrical short circuit in one of the cars.
- A classic Mercedes-Benz SL was among the damaged cars.
Approximately 30 cars have been destroyed in a blaze that engulfed an apartment block parking lot in Houston, Texas. Making things worse for some owners is the fact that their cars were not insured.
The fire occurred on October 14, at roughly 4 a.m. According to investigators, it started with an electrical short in one of the cars but quickly spread to almost the entire parking complex.
Read: Over 50 Rivian R1T And R1S Models Ruined In Factory Fire
Photos show that many of the cars were burned to a crisp in the blaze, and the roof of the parking lot was also badly damaged. Fortunately, the blaze appears to have not spread to the ground floor and was extinguished by local fire crews. There are no reports of any injuries, other than a few broken hearts.
Speaking with Click2Houston, Yousef Alkhatip said his Mercedes A-Class was destroyed in the inferno and was not insured. The manager of the apartment complex told him it would not pay for a replacement.
According to Jake Passero from True Insurance Group, the apartment complex likely cannot be held liable for the blaze and won’t be on the hook for replacing damaged and destroyed vehicles through its insurance.
Initially called in as a car fire, firefighters arrived and saw nearly 20 vehicles burning. They quickly called for a greater response. pic.twitter.com/g8HVdOXWKb
— Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) October 14, 2024
“I do believe this is going to fall on the actual owners of the cars themselves,” Passero said. “If this was an instance involving the apartments themselves or people’s belongings inside those apartments, then there might be liability on the part of the apartment complex, but given this involved residents cars parked in the parking lot, I think this falls on the car owners themselves and their auto insurance companies.”
If there’s one thing that car owners can learn from this blaze, it’s the importance of having your car insured. Every US state other than New Hampshire requires all drivers to have an active car insurance policy, but the truth is, many people don’t comply with these laws and drive around uninsured. And that will always be a bad idea.
