MOUNT DORA, Fla. – A massive fire broke out at a parking garage at the Jacksonville International Airport in 2025. Over 50 cars were damaged.
Closer to home, smoke filled a parking garage near UCF in February.
Those examples are exactly the situation Mount Dora firefighters are hopeful doesn’t happen in their city, but want to be prepared for.
“We’re looking at different tactics if we were to have a vehicle fire inside the parking deck. We’re looking at location of the vehicle. What’s the possibility of fire spread to other vehicles?” Questioned Fire Chief Joseph Hightower.
Crews simulated an actual fire inside a parking garage on North Donelly Street. They rolled up, got out, and extinguished.
The chief says when firefighters do arrive on scene there’s a lot to consider, like how many cars are there.
“We had to consider the weather when we in come in through the park and they can push in that fire with force, obviously smoke that goes along with it,” said Chief Hightower.
As electric-powered cars become more popular, the way to respond if one catches fire is also different.
“There’s fire, blankets, there’s, you know, nozzles, piercing nozzles that you’re able to go in and pierce the battery itself to put water,” said the chief.
He says it’s especially crucial for his firefighters to stay prepared since many parking garages lack a sprinkler system.