New Philadelphia car wash remains closed after fire
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (April 5, 2022) – Assistant Fire Chief Matt Tharp says a driver’s decision to pull a smoldering vehicle into a car wash to try to extinguish it made a bad situation even worse.
He says the Akron man spotted smoke coming from the hood and dash of the rented 2008 Dodge Nitro near the Dirty Dog Car Wash on East High Avenue just after midnight Monday and decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I think he was trying to do the right thing. I don’t know if it was probably the right decision in the end because he caught the whole car wash on fire. The best advice we can give is if you’re having problems, pull over to the side of the road or pull away from any buildings, call 911 immediately and let us come out and take a look at it.”
Tharp says surveillance video shows the man swiping his card several times and trying unsuccessfully to turn on the nozzle. The car wash experienced extensive damage and remained closed today. The rental car was a total loss.