Coincidence or a troubling trend?

Brand new Jeep Wranglers just off the line caught fire Monday morning in Toledo. Nearly 2 dozen destroyed at an auto storage lot.

The 13abc I-Team has learned it's not the first time Jeeps have caught fire in a lot this month. A similar story played out in Swanton just a few weeks ago.

So far it's not clear whether the two fires are connected. At least one of them is getting the attention of the state. This Swanton fire was turned over to the state Fire Marshal's office. It's been there for about 2 weeks. The office not saying much, only to say it's an open investigation. Just like the one Monday morning being handled by Toledo fire fighters.

Monday’s fire happened at an auto storage lot on Counter Street near the state prison. About 18-20 cars burned according to a Toledo fire spokesman. It's not clear how or why this fire started. The lot stores brand new Jeeps that just rolled off the line at the Toledo North Assembly Complex.

As for the other fire, that happened on the weekend of May 5th in Swanton. There's a lot at Toledo Express airport and several Jeeps were damaged there after a fire according to Swanton fire Chief Mike Wolever. He turned that case over to the state Fire Marshal. So far that office has not determined an exact cause of that fire but we're told the investigation is open and underway. They're not releasing any information on what has been found so far.

The I-Team spoke today with a spokesperson with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They had not heard about Monday’s fire and had no reports of the Swanton fire.

We’re told they have not had any other recent reports of Wranglers catching fire.

In their database, there were 19 complaints listed with the 2018 Jeep Wrangler SUV 4wd later release. It's not clear whether that means the JK that is no longer in production or the JL which is the current and newest Wrangler.

Only one recall has been issued. That was in April for an underbody ladder rail that may corrode.

Count on 13abc to stay on top of these issues with fires and the Wrangler.