Lara and Brian Karnick were eating dinner with their four kids March 12 when a stranger knocked on their door with bad news — their 2002 Ford Expedition was in flames in their driveway.

Brian Karnick shouted for his wife to grab the kitchen fire extinguisher and dashed out the door, but it was worse than he expected. The front of the SUV was engulfed in flames, and thick, acrid smoke was overtaking the neighborhood just east of Broadway and Arapahoe Road.

“It went from grab the fire extinguisher to call the fire department just like that,” said Lara Karnick. “Luckily it didn’t catch the house on fire. They got here pretty quick.”

Radiant heat damaged the siding on their garage, noted Littleton Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Jeff Tasker. Although the fire is still under investigation, Tasker said it was apparent it started in the engine compartment and breached the cab.

Fortunately, said Lara Karnick, they have insurance on the property and the vehicle.

Just an hour before the knock on the door, Brian Karnick had arrived home in the Expedition with all four kids. He said they’d owned it since 2004 and never had any major problems with it before.

“Everybody’s OK,” said Lara Karnick. “The car not so much, but the people, yes.”