Lightning ruled out as cause of car fire that burned man at Wichita truck stop
Lightning has been ruled out as a potential cause for a car fire that left a man in critical condition at a north Wichita truck stop early Sunday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Jose Ocadiz said.
The fire, reported just before 1:30 a.m. near the Love’s Truck Stop at N. Cleveland and N. New York, left a 58-year-old man with third-degree burns on about 80% of his body, according to emergency scanner traffic. Scanner traffic is based on preliminary information and is subject to change.
Initially, first responders said via the scanner that lightning caused the vehicle to combust, but Ocadiz later confirmed in an email to The Eagle that lightning had been ruled out as a potential cause.
Ocadiz said they reached that conclusion after reviewing video from a nearby business and contacting the National Weather Service, which provided lightning strike data.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the victim was still in critical condition, Ocadiz said.
