Vehicle fire in Deltona under investigation
DELTONA, Fla. (FOX 35 Orlando) - A Volusia County man was driving on Interstate 4 when his SUV suddenly caught fire.
“Everything was popping including the two front tires. All the hoses, you can hear all the plastic,” said Johnnie Alicea.
He maneuvered the car in to a parking lot in Deltona when the entire vehicle became engulfed with flames.
“Between 45 seconds to a minute after that the car was fully in flames, the front compartment, “ said Alicea.
According to the fire department’s incident report, the cause of this car fire is “undetermined after investigation.”
The vehicle is a 2014 Kia Soul, one of the models under a federal safety investigation. The federal government is looking into the fires involving Hyundai and Kia vehicles after receiving complaints of more than 3,100 fires and 103 injuries. The fires are happening in vehicles that are not involved in crashes.
FOX 35 contacted Kia Motors America about Alicea’s vehicle.
"We encourage the customer to contact Kia Consumer Affairs as soon as possible at 800-333-4KIA (4542), so that we can schedule an inspection of the vehicle. Without examining the vehicle in question, Kia cannot determine what caused the fire at this time," read a statement sent to FOX 35 from Kia. "Kia Motors America (KMA) works directly with customers and if it is determined that a fire is the result of a manufacturing-related issue, KMA will work with customers to address any costs or expenses they may incur."
Alciea says it was a frightening end to his commute home, but he knows it could have been worse.
“What surprised me was how quickly. How quickly it went from smoldering to, OK, I see flames to the front two seats are completely on fire, the rest of the vehicle and there goes the back window,” said Alicea.