MY WIFE DROVE OUR 2001 PONT. GRAND PRIX GT APPROX. 12 MILES FROM OUR HOME TO A PET STORE. PARKED THE VEHICLE AND PROCEEDED INTO THE STORE AFTER APPROX. 5 MINS. LATER SOMEONE SAID THERE WAS A SILVER CAR ON FIRE IN THE PARKING LOT. WELL UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS OURS. A BYSTANDER OPENED THE HOOD AND DUMPED SNOW ON IT AND ANOTHER RETRIEVED A FIRE EXT. AND WERE ABLE TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. 911 WAS CALLED AND FIRE DEPT., POLICE AND FIRE MARSHALL WERE ON SCENE. CAR HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED WITH REGULAR SERVICE. I SEE NO REASON AS TO HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. THANKFULLY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ALONG THE HIGHWAY. LOOKING FORWARD TO A RESPONSE AS TO WHAT I SEE THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ALMOST COMMON OCCURRENCE. *TR