JEEP CATCHES FIRE IN MORONGO VALLEY FRIDAY

Quick thinking saved a man from serious injury during a car fire Friday afternoon. Morongo Valley Fire Engineer Murphy said about 1:45 p.m., the unidentified man was driving a Jeep eastbound on the Morongo Valley Grade on Highway 62 when he realized something wasn’t right. He heard a popping noise, and then saw flames in the front passenger compartment at his feet. Murphy said he drove his Jeep onto the right shoulder of the highway, and then, at about 30 miles per hour, he jumped out of the Jeep. The vehicle continued on into a fence and ended up in the parking lot of the Morongo Valley Post Office. The Jeep burst into flames and was completely destroyed. The man did not suffer any injuries.