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Fire That Started In Van Burns St. Pete Home

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TBO.com

Published: September 5, 2008

A home and a Volkswagen van caught fire Friday night in St. Petersburg, according to St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue.

About 8:38 p.m., firefighters responded to the blaze at 2830 Desoto Way S.

"Upon arrival, fire crews reported that the front of house was completely engulfed in flames," a St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue news release states.

Crews also reported most of the fire was in a two-car garage. There, crews found a 1973 Volkswagen van ablaze.

"The fire was a difficult one to extinguish, because Volkswagen makes their engine blocks out of magnesium," according to the release. "The danger of magnesium from a firefighting standpoint is that a magnesium fire burns too hot and releases too much energy to be extinguished using water."

Homeowner Don Mason told fire crews he was replacing the fuel filter on the Volkswagen when it caught on fire, the release states.

Mason called 911 when he couldn't get the van out of the garage.

Paramedics treated one firefighter at the scene for a minor injury.

Damage to the garage, home and van totaled $40,000, according to the release.

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