A Ford Expedition caught fire in the middle of a busy parking lot at the Union Street Athletic Complex this week, creating quite a stir.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away.

Bangor Assistant Fire Chief, Casey Perry, said firefighters started receiving reports of the smoke and fire around 4:45 PM, Wednesday afternoon.

Vehicle Fire 1, Megan Bridges
Vehicle Fire 1, Megan Bridges
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"There's a lot of synthetic materials and plastics. And they burn quickly. There were cars to the left and the right of the car that was on fire."

Perry says he was unaware of any major damage sustained to the neighboring vehicles, as fire crews were able to extinguish the fire within about 15 minutes of arriving on the scene.

He said the folks at the sports complex did a good job keeping their distance and staying out of the way of the firefighters while they knocked the fire down.

"They were kind of just policing themselves and keeping a safe distance back, so we didn't have to ask anybody to move along. But there were a lot of people out there watching. "

Vehicle Fire 2, Megan Bridges
Vehicle Fire 2, Megan Bridges
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Perry said the Bangor Police Department was on hand as well, and had closed off the entrance to the complex at one point so that firefighters could do what they needed to, without adding any more traffic to the mix.

"Bangor PD responded as well, and they kept traffic under control while the crews put the fire out."

Local mom, Megan Bridges, says the fire was out by 5 PM when she arrived to bring her son to soccer practice. She says there was a lot of activity taking place at the complex Wednesday, including a Hermon High soccer game, a baseball game, and several Parks & Rec activities.

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Assistant Chief Perry says the owner of the vehicle was on hand, at the complex. Perry said they did not know what caused the fire.

According to USA Today:

"Ford is recalling 200,000 of their SUVs due to a fire risk. The automaker announced the recall on Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators after learning their heating and cooling fan motors can catch fire, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported late last month."

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