GMC Yukon erupts into flames during test drive in Anaheim
A brand new GMC Yukon erupted into flames during a test drive in Anaheim on Sunday after its driver, losing control of the SUV, parked it on a residential street.
Firefighters responded about 2 p.m. to the 2500 block of East Wagner Avenue after several 911 callers reported the fire, Anaheim police Lt. Tim Schmidt told KTLA-TV.
The blaze, which engulfed the 2015 Yukon, was knocked down within minutes and no injuries were reported, according to police.
“We’re very lucky that no one got hurt, and it was in an area that … was safe,†Schmidt said. “If there was any place that was going to be safe, it would be this area. It’s very open. It worked out for us.â€
Multiple witnesses used their mobile phones to capture footage of the blaze, which caused the SUV’s tires to burst and sent black plumes of smoke into the air.
“Everyone kept thinking: Is it going to explode one more time? Because it looked like the gas tank was still there, intact,†said Sergio Luna, who witnessed the incident. “So that was the big fear: If it does go off, what’s going to happen?â€
Authorities were investigating what caused the blaze, but it appeared that the SUV “had some oil leak or some fluid leaking prior, as they were doing the test drive,†Schmidt said.
The driver, who was not identified, then lost “complete control†of the Yukon but was able to pull it over to the curb and park it before it erupted into flames, Schmidt added.
“When they got out of the vehicle, it shortly started having smoke and then quickly went into flames, as you can see on the video,†he said.
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