Historic Car Destroyed in CA Trailer Fire

Kyarra Harris
Monterey Daily Herald
(TNS)

MONTEREY >> Another historic vehicle exhibited during Classic Car week was destroyed in a trailer fire Wednesday, this time on Monterey-Salinas Highway and York Road.

The Monterey Fire Department responded to a fully engulfed commercial trailer with a car inside just after 5:30 p.m. The fire was spreading to nearby vegetation.

The vehicle was a 1934 Hispano-Suiza J12 Vanvooren Cabriolet. The vehicle had just taken second place in the J-1: European Classic Touring Early at the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Aug. 18.

The crews moved quickly and extinguished the fire on both the trailer and the vegetation, preventing further spread according to a news release from the city of Monterey. The Monterey-Salinas Highway was closed in both directions and traffic was diverted through Lower Ragsdale Drive for about an hour and a half until the trailer and vehicle was removed.

A total of 16 fire personnel worked together, led by the Monterey Fire Department, including two division chiefs from Monterey Fire and Monterey County Regional Fire District, four engines and one water tender. The Monterey Police Department also helped with traffic control and Pacific Gas & Electric inspected nearby power lines for any damage.

The vehicle was destroyed in the fire. It had an estimated value of $2 million and the trailer’s estimated value was $15,000.

The driver was able to successfully detach the tow vehicle from the trailer during the incident. The tow vehicle did not sustain any damage. The driver had minor injuries. No firefighter injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but firefighters say it is not considered suspicious.

This is the second car show vehicle to be destroyed in a fire in less than a month. A 1979 Ford Ghia Probe 1 Concept Car valued at approximately $1 million was destroyed in a trailer fire Aug. 18 in Monterey, on the northbound Highway 1 Munras Avenue off-ramp.

The car was fully engulfed in flames and totaled during the incident, similar to the fire Wednesday, and crews had to stop the fire from spreading to nearby vegetation.

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