Vintage Mercedes Among Cars Damaged When Tailpipe Exhaust Starts Brush Fire

Exhaust from a car that was in a parking space likely started the small brush fire on a Pacific Palisades hillside

A vintage Mercedes-Benz roadster was among vehicles damaged when exhaust from a car's tailpipe started a brush fire on a hillside at a Southern California high school.

The Mercedes Benz 380SL was one of at least five vehicles damaged by the fire in the Palisades Charter High School upper parking lot. A fire alarm at the school sounded during the small fire, which likely started when a car's exhaust ignited dry grass bordering the parking area.

A student told NBC4 that he noticed a small fire after backing his car into a parking spot, then pulled forward before flames spread up the hillside.

Students were evacuated to the school's football field as a precaution. No injuries were reported.

The fire, reported at 8 a.m., was extinguished in a few minutes and contained to the hillside.

The fire burned amid red flag conditions, indicating the possibility for rapid wildfire spread, across Southern California.
 

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