Victoria firefighters tried using a special retardant Saturday night on a fire in an older Volkswagen van because its engine block was made of magnesium. That meant water would be ineffective. Foam was used to extinguish the fire in other parts of the vehicle.
Acting Battalion Chief Vince Cullen said a man was preparing to drive a friend to the airport but a fire broke out when he started the van up.
Both got out safely.
By the time a fire crew arrived at the scene on Wark Street about 6:30 p.m., the fire was fully involved, Cullen said. It turned out firefighters couldn't get close enough with extinguishers containing the retardant, he said.
"They had to just allow it to kind of burn itself out," he said. "They had a little bit of road damage with the intense heat."
The van "is pretty much a writeoff," Cullen said.
