Rental Car Totalled Following Fire On the Interstate

  • Location

    I90 Westbound
    Madison, WI
  • Incident Date

    Dispatch: May. 27, 2016 - 5:24pm
    Arrival: May. 27, 2016 - 5:37pm
  • Incident Type

    Vehicle

30.478825, -83.440384

This map displays an approximate location.

Incident Details

A rental car headed westbound on I-90 Friday evening is considered a total loss following a fire.
 
The car was being driven from Illinois to Wisconsin Dells for a long-weekend vacation when one of the passengers noticed a wisp of smoke coming from under the hood. Flames were seen by the time the car was stopped on the shoulder of the highway. The driver had everyone get out of the car when she began to feel heat on her legs. Moments later, the car was “a ball of flames.”
 
The Wisconsin State Patrol assisted with traffic control as Engine 5’s crew pulled their bumper line across the center median and lanes of traffic to reach the fire, applying approximately 250 gallons of water and foam to knock it down.
 
Nobody was injured but the passengers were quite shaken up following the incident.
 
The cause of the fire is unknown. Firefighters say there’s nothing left of the engine and passenger compartments. Some items were saved from the trunk. The car rental company that owned the vehicle arranged to have it towed.
 

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