WASHINGTON COUNTY — A car with an overheated engine burst into flames on Interstate 15 in Washington County Friday evening.
The fire occurred at approximately 6 p.m. near the off-ramp of Exit 33 on northbound I-15 involving a gray 1999 Toyota Camry LE.
The driver told emergency responders that the car had been in storage in St. George for several years and that he was driving it to his home in Cedar City.
Right as he approached the off-ramp, he noticed smoke coming from under the hood and pulled over to the outside shoulder lane, Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Grant Hintze said.
“He attempted to pour a jug of water on the overheating engine,” Hintze said. “However, the vehicle’s engine compartment burst into flames. He quickly grabbed several valuables from the Toyota’s interior before it became fully engulfed.”
Within minutes, firefighters from Hurricane Valley Fire District arrived on scene and extinguished the blaze.
The driver escaped without injury, but the car was heavily damaged in the fire and had to be towed from the road.
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