Watch Spectacular Video of Lawn Mower Destroyed By Fire in E. Herkimer, NY
A woman in East Herkimer says she "had just enough time to jump off" her riding lawn mower this week before it burst into flames which climbed some 15 feet into the air.
Lori Schell Johannssen said she couldn't believe her eyes as her lawn mower started to smoke and then quickly caught fire on Monday, burning it to the point where only the frame was left.
A Neighbor stretched a garden hose to the tractor and began to douse the flames. Firefighters from East Herkimer arrived shortly thereafter to completely put out the fire.
Schell Johannssen told WIBX's Keeler Show on Thursday that the lawn mower was a 2018 Cub Cadet and the manufacturer told her the fire was not due to defect, but instead was caused by her failure to regularly perform maintenance on the tractor. Meanwhile, a simple Google search lists several complaints from Cub Cadet owners claiming their model also caught on fire. In fact, in 2013 several models were recalled due to a fire hazard. Johannssen's 2018 model is not on the recall list.
Facebook post by Johannssen:
Facebook post shows neighbor assisting in putting out the fire: