VIDEO/PHOTOS: On Sunday, May 4, Chloe Nanasi and her family were on the tail end of their drive from Florida to their home in Ludington, but their trip took a turn that no family wants to experience. “We were driving home from Florida, towing our camper with our two dogs and our two young kids, when the rain cleared and the truck started to smoke black,” Nanasi recalled. “We quickly pulled over to the side of the road and called 911, as we thought the front of our truck was catching fire.”
Around two hours from Ludington in Ottawa County, the Olive Township Fire Department was dispatched for a potential vehicle fire. While the Nanasi family’s truck did not catch fire, the Olive Township fire crew still found a family in need. Lieutenant Steve Schoenborn said the front brake pads were worn and had become jammed after slipping out of place, which was causing heat. He said the brake caliper had also overextended, which was leaking brake fluid. Chief Brian Dewitt said the rain that day prevented a fire, but the heat grew as the day dried out.
