(Republican Leader) – A fire that ignited near the Nantucket Memorial Airport ended up setting ablaze five vehicles recently used by the Secret Service during President Joe Biden’s Thanksgiving vacation on the Massachusetts island. The vehicles were owned by Hertz and had just recently been returned to the rental car company by the United States Secret Service, sources that spoke with the Nantucket Current said.
The fire started Monday, which, according to the Daily Mail, was one day after Biden left Nantucket to go back to the White House.
Katelyn Caralle, writer for the Daily Mail then wrote, “There were no injuries but at least four cars sustained significant damage in the fire, which occurred just 40 feet from the airport’s 25,000-gallon jet fuel tanks.”
“Five cars rented by the USSS during Biden’s Thanksgiving trip to Nantucket were towed due to the fire – they are a Chevy Suburban, Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX80, Ford Expedition and Jeep Gladiator. The vehicles were used to transport the president’s family around the island. Although it is not immediately clear what caused the fire, the Ford Expedition is under a manufacturer battery recall. The vehicle involved in the fire was scheduled to receive a replacement battery, but it had not yet been swapped out at the time of the fire.”
The cars were owned by Hertz, and had just been returned by members of the Secret Service who had been using them during President Biden’s visit, sources said.
The Ford Expedition was under a battery recall by the manufacturer and had recently had the battery switched out. pic.twitter.com/CQzI5w0k2U
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 28, 2022
The 5 rental vehicles that sustained significant damage were facing each other at the origin of the fire and had their front ends totaled by the blaze. The following 5 cars were towed away:
• Chevy Suburban
• Ford Explorer
• Infiniti QX80
• Ford Expedition
• Jeep Gladiator pic.twitter.com/VbhP1nQEJk— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 30, 2022
Cranson said investigators had confirmed the Expedition was under a recall, but there was so much damage to the front end it was impossible to to determine if the battery junction box was the source of the fire. pic.twitter.com/fRPKrYrOkS
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 30, 2022
The incident is currently being investigated due to the fact the vehicles were used by Biden’s security detail just a single day before they burst into flames. The Nantucket Current released videos on Twitter that revealed the front ends of the vehicles were totally destroyed by the flames.
A large car fire involving multiple rental vehicles at Nantucket Memorial Airport is now out. There were no injuries reported but at least four cars sustained significant damage. #nantucket pic.twitter.com/VF7Zh7qoot
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 28, 2022
An investigation into the fire that consumed five rental vehicles that had been used by Secret Service agents during President Biden’s visit to the island has determined the blaze was not suspicious, according to #Nantucket Fire Chief Michael Cranson. pic.twitter.com/EYecdzj9uJ
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 30, 2022
Here’s a portion of the surveillance video of the rental cars used by Secret Service agents going up in flames at #Nantucket Memorial Airport less than 24 hours after President Biden left the island pic.twitter.com/sAGGsz1pw0
— Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) November 30, 2022
The president flew to the island on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, along with his wife Jill, infamous son Hunter, his wife Melissa Cohen and their son, Beau Jr.
He then returned to the White House on Sunday.
The airport put out a statement concerning the situation saying, “At approximately 5:22 am Airport shift staff observed an active fire in the rental car overflow area through the Airport’s Closed Circuit Television System. Staff activated the Alert system and responded to the fire in Airport-3, where they were met by responding units from Nantucket Fire Department and Nantucket Police Department.”
Fire resources responded to the blaze and helped to contain it, the statement continued, noting that several vehicles sustained damage. The daily operations of the airport were not impacted by the fire.
“The Bidens stayed at a waterfront compound along Nantucket Harbor. The family members on the trip included Ashley and Hunter Biden. The family has a more than 40-year tradition of spending Thanksgiving on the island,” Fox News stated.
“The getaway was the first vacation for the Biden family since they went to another secluded East Coast island in August, when the president, first lady and Hunter Biden all flew on Air Force One to Kiawah Island in South Carolina,” Fox continued.
It’s not unusual for presidents to take their families on vacations close to major holidays and sometime late into the summer season. Former Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump all took vacations similar to the one Biden took during Thanksgiving. In fact, Bush would spend time at his ranch in Texas, while both Trump and Obama liked to spend time at golf resorts in New England.
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