Car parked in mayor’s spot catches fire

Firefighters work to remove the bonnet of a car that caught fire in Alexandra yesterday. PHOTO:...
Firefighters work to remove the bonnet of a car that caught fire in Alexandra yesterday. PHOTO: RUBY SHAW
A bit of bad karma was sent the way of a driver who nabbed the mayor’s parking spot in Alexandra yesterday.

Emergency services were called to a vehicle fire in the carpark of the Central Otago District Council in Alexandra about 3pm.

Two fire engines from Alexandra attended the fire, which drew onlookers from the council buildings, the adjacent police station and court buildings, as well as businesses and the nearby primary school.

Chief Fire Officer Russell Anderson, of Alexandra, said the vehicle belonged to a member of the public.

They had parked their car, which was not an electric vehicle, in the council’s electric vehicle spot, he said.

No-one was in the vehicle at the time of the fire.

A council spokesperson said while the fire was in Central Otago District Mayor Tim Cadogan’s parking spot, it was not his car and he was not on site at the time.

The only damage to council property was to a nearby vehicle-charging lead.

CFO Anderson said the fire was probably caused by a fault in the engine.

"You’ve obviously got a spark of some sort that’s started it and you’ve got a source of fuel to get it going the way it has," he said.

"It’s burnt the whole engine bay back."

A fire investigator had been notified, he said.

ruby.shaw@odt.co.nz