A silver 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK was struck by lightening during a thunderstorm in Arlington, Virginia, and converted into a wreckage. The owner always knew his car was an attraction in the neighborhood. But now his neighbors’ interest in the car has gone through the roof. They are all flocking to take pictures of what is left of it. And there’s not much left to see.
Even though it was manufactured in 2002, the CLK only had 75 000 miles and the owner, Dan Goure, took care of it as if of his own baby.
“It was in good condition, low mileage and it was a nice-running car,” Dan Goure said, thinking that from now on, the vehicle he was so proud of is good for recycle, since one night, Mother Nature had the worst of surprises for him.
The car’s sleek lines and luxurious interior have all been melted by fire.
Not much left to see…
“I couldn’t imagine that it was powerful enough to ignite the whole car. We heard the explosion, heard the bang”, Dan Goure tells of the night of the horror thunder storm.
Goure says he and his wife watched from a front window as sparks flew. Fire officials say the lightning took down a power line that caught fire. The arcing line, while inching ever closer to the car, punched holes in the road, turning asphalt into a fire drill field.
Goure said, “It took about 15 to 20 minutes to burn down here. So, it was like a slow match.”
This used to be a wheel before lightning stroke
And it could have been a lot worse. There are gas pipes in the ground, so if the fire had punctured those, the whole neighborhood would have jumped up in flames and a damaged car would have been the least of everyone’s problems.
“You could have had one hell of a disaster in the neighborhood. Could have taken out two or three houses,” officials warned.
The car was declared a total loss. There were no injuries.
