In times of terrible tragedy, it can be helpful to find little rays of positivity, even if only to provide some reprieve from the pain. Well, one tough-as-nails Toyota Tacoma gave exactly that to a family in Eaton, California. The devastating wildfires took their home, along with every other home on the block. But this Tacoma not only survived the fire—it also started up and ran without problems on the first try.
In this video from Brandon Sanders on YouTube, you can see the pile of rubble and ash that used to be his house. When the camera pans to the right, you see his 2013 Tacoma Prerunner still standing. The owner gets in, and the mighty Toyota fires to life at the first twist of the ignition. It seemingly runs perfectly, with no lumpy idle even while breathing in dirty air.
“The damage to the truck appears to be 100% cosmetic,” Sanders told us in an email. “The front grill and bumper cover are badly melted, as are the side molding and one of the rear tail lights. The paint on the hood and driver’s side is scorched/cooked and makes the truck look a little like a perfectly roasted marshmallow.”
Toyota trucks from that era are known for being pretty indestructible. We all remember when Top Gear spent an entire episode trying to ruin a Toyota Hilux pickup. And while the Tacoma and Hilux are different models, this Tacoma survived a real-life tragedy, not made-for-TV stunts. How it didn’t burn or melt in the fire could be a matter of luck—maybe the intense flames just happened to miss it. They couldn’t have been far, as the debris of former houses stood only feet away. Not only did the Tacoma not burn to the ground, but even all of its wiring harnesses, plastic connections, and hoses survived the heat without melting, allowing the engine to start right up.
Sanders told us this is his second Tacoma—his first was a 1998 model that he eventually sold in 2019 with about 317,000 miles on the clock. “The plan before the fire was to keep this truck forever, and that’s still the plan now,” he said. “I don’t plan on repairing it immediately because I need it as a driving/working vehicle to get to work and get my family around but I will consider repairing the cosmetic damage once life becomes a little more stable.” The pickup’s keys disintegrated in the fire, but Envision Toyota of West Covina made Sanders a new key using the truck’s VIN for free after seeing the state of the vehicle.
Toyota should give this family a new Tacoma (or at the very least cover the repairs), as no billion-dollar ad campaign could ever come close to vouching for its products like this 28-second iPhone video. It’s done so before, for a woman whose Tundra was burned while being used as a rescue vehicle in a previous California wildfire in 2018.
Updated Jan. 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m. Eastern: Added comments and images provided by Brandon Sanders.
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