Fire on the mountain

jessewvu

We took our Boy Scouts camping this weekend and woke up to one of our trucks being on fire. Another troop ran down and told us as the parking lot was a bit of a hike to our campsite. The truck, 2018 F-150, was sitting for over 12 hours with no issue before going up.

Coin relation: I was riding in the truck on the way to camp, we were taking the scouts mountain biking in the Richmond area. While driving, the owner was telling me a story about how he had an old coin from Greece in the bag on his bike. He apparently had the bike for some time and while he was in Greece, serving in our military, rode it around often. He was getting ready for this weekend and found it in the bag and decided to leave it. The bike and his coin were lost in the inferno.

He really wanted us to press on with the mountain biking excursion so we did and had a great time. His thought was to use it as a lesson about things happen in life, take care of it and move on. Great learning opportunities all around today.

Post a coin from Greece!

SmEagle1795

I'm glad no one was injured (and that the car fire didn't spread to the surrounding forest!)

Here's a related coin from Greece, a stater from Gortyna (on the island of Crete) minted in 280BC which depicts Europa in a tree with Zeus symbolized by the eagle to her side. Remarkably, there is a religious cult formed 3000 years ago which has followed this specific type of tree, a rare subspecies of evergreen plane tree which resides behind the major archaeological site in Gortyna. It's believed that the same tree depicted on this coin is still standing today:

Jzyskowski1

Wow. Very lucky. Scary in the woods
Here’s something modern 1965 proof set

MWallace

Catbert

I guess the truck was made in the US.

edwardjulio

johnny9434

The good thing is no one got hurt or worse

bolivarshagnasty

OP, Are you saying the truck was turned off for 12 hrs before catching fire?

jesbroken

So terrible. I am so glad no one was injured and feel sorry for your friend's loss. I thank him for his service.
Here's a quite rare decadrachm from Akragas, which one sold in 2012 for 2.3 million Swiss Francs at Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC). Obviously, I do not possess one.
Jim

nwcoast

Crazy situation there!
Good to hear there were no injuries. Good lessons along the way too.

Istros- AR Stater 350-400 BC- Ancient Greece.
Sea Eagle on Dolphin and two male faces side by side and inverted.

ricko

Wow... That is terrible. What a loss. I hope the truck was insured well. Cheers, RickO

jessewvu

@bolivarshagnasty said:
OP, Are you saying the truck was turned off for 12 hrs before catching fire?

Yes. We drove up Friday night and parked the vehicles around 6pm. Truck door wasn’t opened after that. Seems to have spontaneously combust around 0720

Nobody was hurt and other vehicles were moved in time so no other damage. I left with another dad to hail the fire truck and direct them down the dirt roads. The fire truck had to navigate some very peculiar turns and old dirt pile culverts, hats off to them.

Cameonut

Glad nobody was hurt.

Just wait until the electric trucks show up. Mobile Chernobyls!

HATTRICK

Happy there was no injuries. Sent a link to my daughter. She is a girl scout troop leader and also goes on many camping and trail bike riding and climbing trips. Spends 10 days in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park hiking and bike riding with her family. Bike racks on the back of the Tahoe and roof rack for the canoe and kayak.
Nothing like enjoying the outdoors.

Herb_T

Well, the first one might be Roman…..

BryceM

Interesting, and bizarre. Glad the forest didn't decide to join in the festivities.

I wonder if he had any lithium batteries...... rechargeable flashlights, cell phone on the charger, that sort of thing? Trucks don't usually decide to self-combust. Sure looks like it started in the engine compartment though. Odd.

I've been meaning to add an Athenian Owl to the collection. It seems like the blue chip coin of the ancient world.

JimW

@BryceM said:

I wonder if he had any lithium batteries...... rechargeable flashlights, cell phone on the charger, that sort of thing? Trucks don't usually decide to self-combust. Sure looks like it started in the engine compartment though. Odd.

Agree that is quite odd. There seems to be fire quite far out in front of the truck on the ground in the 'early' picture. What combustible liquids would be that far out, certainly not from radiator, AC ? Maybe oil or trans cooler? Suspicious IMO.
Sorry to hear of the coin loss!!! Glad everyone was safe

ElKevvo

Yeah that no one was hurt is the main thing. Odd but could have been a rodent or other wildlife getting in there and chewing wires or short circuiting something.

I also have been meaning to add an Athenian Owl...just a cool coin and I like owls anyway.

K