New Hampshire — One driver might need to have his “This car climbed Mt. Washington” sticker revoked, because the individual’s car caught fire.
Yesterday, Gorham Fire & EMS detailed a rare firefighting effort on the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Around noontime yesterday, a car caught fire on the Auto Road. The vehicle was approximately 4.5 miles into the 7.6-mile journey to the summit. Bystanders attempted to extinguish the fire but were unsuccessful.
When firefighting crews arrived, the car was completely engulfed in flames. Gorham Fire & EMS was able to extinguish the fire and stop it from spreading past the road. The car, which I assume is a complete loss, was loaded onto a flatbed. The Auto Road reopened shortly afterwards and stayed open for the rest of the day.
As someone who just drove up the auto road last weekend, there were a few things I thought about on the journey. When you grab your ticket at the base, you do get a free “My Car Climbed Mt. Washington” sticker, which I felt was a little premature. Also, with it being such a steep and narrow road, I was kinda shocked there weren’t more car crashes or breakdowns. On the way down, they recommend taking breaks to avoid overwhelming your braking systems, which could theoretically lead to maintenance problems for your vehicle. Ultimately, it demonstrates the importance of inspecting your car before a trip like this.
I suggest creating a custom name sticker for this (or their future) vehicle: “My car caught fire on Mt. Washington.”
Image/Video Credits: Gorham Fire & EMS, Mt. Washington Auto Road
