Airdronian Mandy Fitchett’s birthday week did not start off as she had planned. Then again, not many of us would be prepared if our car caught on fire in a drive-thru, on a Monday morning to boot. 

“[Monday] started like any other day; getting kids ready, rushing to get to school. I actually had an extra kid with me today as I sometimes watch one of my girlfriend's kids,” Fitchett said. “I got the kids dropped off, got them settled, so I wanted to treat myself to a Timmy’s this morning before I head in to do some training in my new job.”  

Fitchett rolled up to the Tim Horton’s drive-thru on Veterans Boulevard, patiently waiting to get her order in. Moments later she noticed smoke surrounding her car; thinking it was the diesel truck in front of her, she paid no mind to it. 

“Then I see smoke inside the car, so of course, I panic. I jumped out and I saw quite a bit of smoke coming out of my car and I've had a house fire before so that sets me in a panic,” she said.  

Fitchett flagged the car down behind her. The passenger of that car at first wasn’t quite sure what all the fuss was about, not until Fitchett came to his car window. 

“He jumped right out and I popped the hood and as soon as we opened it, there was more smoke,” she said. “He's like, ‘turn it off, turn it off,’ so I turned it off because I didn't think of that right away in a panicked state. Then he says, ‘Yep, there's definitely a flame in there.’” 

Both Fitchett and the man started frantically grabbing handfuls of snow and throwing it onto what they thought was the origin of the fire. Meanwhile, Fitchett called 9-11 to alert them to her predicament. 

“'I tell this amazing gentleman that I will be right back and that I’m going to go run into the Tim Horton’s to grab a fire extinguisher and let's not forget, this is the morning rush; it’s 8:45 A.M.” 

Whether it was the Monday morning grogginess or everyone’s sheer astonishment at Fitchett asking for a fire extinguisher, no fire extinguisher could be located in the store.  

“I run back, and the gentleman and I still continue to put snow on and we managed to get the flames out before the fire department even arrived, which was amazing,” Fitchett said. “I laugh at it now. It's something you never think it's going to happen, let alone in a drive-thru in the middle of the morning rush.” 

Amid the burning car, the lack of caffeine, and the general chaos, there were also heartfelt moments. The man who first jumped into action to help Fitchett extinguish her car stayed with her through the whole ordeal.  

“I think his name is Nicholas. He was incredible from start to finish. He stayed with me for quite a while actually until the fire department and my husband showed up. He was the hero of the day,” Fitchett said. “We had so many people come up and say ‘can I get you a coffee? You probably just wanted to eat!’ They were offering support and hugs.” 

One little Airdronian decided that Fitchett needed some much-needed sustenance, and so he procured her donuts. 

“He was the light in that dark moment there. That little guy was a pretty amazing little kid. During all of that craziness, people were amazing,” she said. “They were patient and kind. There may have been a couple of people that weren’t very happy because they didn't get their morning coffee but I mean what are you going to do?” 

Fitchett said that the fire inspector is currently investigating what went wrong with her car and that her husband immediately got her a fire extinguisher for her car, just in case. Fitchett’s birthday falls on Thursday, so she has plenty of time to shake off her Monday morning vehicle combustion till then.  

“It’s really, those small things that really do make such an amazing difference in tough situations, so I'm very grateful for all of those people.” 

 

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