Ford Super Duty F-350 Catches Fire, Causes $1.5M In Damages

Fire is one of the more devastating disasters that humans and nature can endure, as we’ve seen time and time again over the years. From massive forest fires down to simple structural or vehicular blazes, fire has certainly caused its fair share of damage over the years, much of which has been quite costly. In the automotive realm, we’ve seen fires claim more than our fair share of Blue Oval models over the years, too – some of which are historic and valuable, and in some cases, essentially irreplaceable. That may not be the case with this Ford Super Duty F-350 that recently caught on fire, but that blaze did result in some hefty monetary damage.

According to WCJB News, this devastating fire happened in High Springs, Florida recently when a 2021 Ford Super Duty F-350 erupted into flames while it was parked inside of a shop owned by a local family. That shop was built 40 years ago by Olav Helgerud, and amazingly enough, this isn’t the first time he’s had a Ford Super Duty catch fire. Rather, another 2021 F-350 that he owned previously caught fire due to faulty electrical work. Now, he’s dealing with a much more costly loss.

That’s because not only was there a Ford Super Duty in the shop that burned down, but also, a bunch of other pricey equipment – three boats, a motorhome, several tractors, a forklift, tons of shop equipment, and much more. It’s estimated that the fire caused upwards of $1.5 million in damages, in fact. “It’s going to be between me, the insurance company, and Ford,” Helgerud said. “To have two vehicles go up in flames the same exact way that are the same year, make, and model is insane,” added Rachel Helgerud.

“At first, I was in complete shock, and then I kind of sat on it for a minute, and I felt very angry and frustrated,” Rachel added. “You know, you hear of recalls all the time, and I felt like personally when Ford handled this the first time around, they kind of just gave him the new truck to keep the situation quiet and appease him.”