Cause Of North Side Vehicle Fire Under Investigation

Firefighters located a vehicle on fire at the intersection of Vera Court and School Road around 4:00 Wednesday afternoon.

Engine Company 10 pulled the bumper line from its rig and used a quarter-tank of water to extinguish the flames, which were coming from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The fire did not extend to the trunk or engine compartments.

Though some belongings were cast into the snow banks on either side of the street, no driver or passengers were nearby when firefighters initially responded.

Eventually a woman approached the crew and identified herself as the owner. She said she was driving down the street when she noticed a fire in the dashboard. She believed the fire was started by her cigarette lighter so she threw it out the window. She then pulled over and removed as many of her belongings as she could before the vehicle became fully involved. She tells MFD that she hasn’t experienced any recent mechanical problems.

Nobody was injured during the incident, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.