ON THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 20, 2005, OUR 1994 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS HAD BEEN PARKED IN OUR GARAGE FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES WHEN WE DISCOVERED A FURIOUS FIRE THAT BURNED THROUGH THE ATTIC AND ROOF IN MINUTES, SHOOTING FLAMES 50 FEET INTO THE NIGHT SKY. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT. BUT THE HOUSE WHICH WE RENTED, AND MOST OF ITS CONTENTS WERE A TOTAL LOSS. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION, WHICH INCLUDED FORD REPRESENTATIVES, SHOWED FAILURE OF SPEED CONTROL OVERRIDE SWITCH AS CAUSE OF FIRE. (ENTIRE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IMPOUNDED BY CARPENTER LAW FIRM LLP OF PLANO, ATTORNEY FOR THE HOMEOWNER'S.) ABSENT RENTERS' INSURANCE, WE FILED A LETTER OF DEMAND WITH FORD IN MARCH OF 2006, DETAILING LOSSES. INEXPLICABLY, IT WAS DENIED. WHILE FORD HAS RECALLED MILLIONS OF VEHICLES TO CORRECT PROBLEMS WITH THIS SAME COMPONENT, OUR MODEL AND YEAR HAS NEVER BEEN AMONG THE RECALLS AS FAR AS WE KNOW. WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN ORDER TO RECOVER DAMAGES. *JB