Late Tuesday afternoon, the Janesville Fire Protection District, alongside Cal Fire, responded to a vehicle fire that fully engulfed a car in flames. The incident was reported by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) around 4:30 p.m., near the intersection of Church Street and US 395.
According to the CHP, the fire originated in the trunk of the vehicle and rapidly spread, consuming the entire car within minutes. Fortunately, the driver managed to escape safely before the flames took hold.
Janesville Fire reported that the driver of the Subaru WRX, who was returning from Reno, noticed smoke while traveling along the highway. His quick decision to pull over and call authorities averted a potentially more serious situation.
A Janesville Fire spokesperson confirmed that the car fire did ignite a small vegetation fire. However, with the assistance of supporting agencies, it was quickly contained to a 10×15-foot area. Officials also praised the property owner and Caltrans for their diligent work in clearing tall grasses along the roadside, which helped prevent the fire from spreading along US 395, especially with the high winds that swept through the area Tuesday evening.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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This story has been updated with more information from an earlier version.
Janesville Fire Protection District along with Cal Fire responded to a fully engulfed vehicle that burst into flames late Tuesday afternoon.
CHP first reported the incident around 4:30 pm noting the fire has stared in the trunk of the vehicle, quickly exploding into flames within minutes at the corner of Church St and US 395. Thankfully the family inside the vehicle had escaped the flames per CHP reports.
The cause of the fire has not been released and there are no further details at this time.
Photo: JFPD
