A car fire briefly blocked the eastbound lanes of Highway 62 on the Yucca Grade Saturday afternoon. Our reporter Andrew Dieleman happened to be driving by the scene of the fire as it happened, and files this report…
While driving eastbound on Highway 62 up the Yucca grade, I saw light smoke coming from a red sedan on the right shoulder near the intersection of Scholl Drive. After pulling over and checking on the female driver, who was out of the vehicle, we both confirmed that no one else was in the vehicle. Immediately after calling 911 and reporting the fire, the driver and I ensured we were a safe distance away. The fire spread quickly, engulfing the vehicle in flames less than a minute later. About 4 minutes later, the fire ignited the gas tank, sending a plume of smoke and fire around 50 feet into the air. I remained with the driver until firefighters arrived, blocked traffic, and began extinguishing the fire. The vehicle was a total loss, but thankfully, the driver was uninjured.
