No injuries as gas cart bursts into flames Saturday at Huddleston Pond
Four people escaped injury Saturday afternoon at Peachtree City’s Huddleston Pond when their gas-powered golf cart began producing white smoke and then burst into a spectacular fire, caught by two photographers who described the scene.
Gary Erlichman: “I sit and read near the gazebo just about every day with my pup and on May 25 at 5:50 p.m. (or so my smart phone tells me) a golf cart stopped right in front of me.
“Two couples that were on the cart jumped off and I noticed a small wisp of smoke coming from behind the front seat.
“The driver flipped the seat forward and poured water from a bottle into the engine area. I asked if he needed more water and he said it didn’t seem to have helped.
“At that point smoke started coming out from beneath the cart. The photos show the progress, which was quite quick.
“I told the people from the cart to go back and stop anyone from getting any closer to the cart while I did the same from the other side. The tires and batteries were exploding and being closer didn’t seem like a good idea.
“I called 911 at 5:53 and the PTC Fire Department responded fairly quickly.”
From another vantage point, William J. Courtney also saw what happened:
“I was in the area fishing and had my Nikon with me, as I had witnessed an illusive green backed heron catching a minnow the previous evening and wanted to try to photograph it if it happened again.
“I had been fishing for about an hour when a golf cart carrying at least four people rounded the turn and headed toward the gazebo. I didn’t think much of it, as I had just got onto the fish, catching a three-pound bass.
“A minute or two later, I looked up to see that the cart had stopped and a generous amount of white smoke was pouring up from the general area. It wasn’t until I dropped my pole and snapped a couple shots with my dslr and 200mm lens that I noticed a small fire just above the front seat of the vehicle.
“I walked around the pond and met up with the driver and passengers, About this time, the cart pretty much burst into flames and there were multiple sounds that we (the driver, passengers and I) described as sounding like fireworks. It was very swift and very spectacular.
“By the time emergency officials arrived, they pretty much just waited for it to burn down to the frame. According to the PCFD officials, the incident was caused by a faulty battery, even though it was a gas-powered cart.”
Huddleston Pond is a popular picnic and recreation area fronting Windgate Road in Glenloch Village, near the center of Peachtree City.
