Dramatic car fire on SR 104 Sunday evening

A firefighter directs water onto the burning vehicle
Photo by Debbie Frank Seger

Around 8:15pm on Sunday evening, a man driving southbound on I-5 from Alderwood Mall to meet a friend for dinner, realized, to his horror, that his car was on fire.

He took the first exit to westbound SR 104 and pulled to the side of the road in front of the Nile Golf and Country Club. He got out of the car. 

Photo by Debbie Frank Seger

The fire escalated quickly, engulfing the entire vehicle in flames. Cars continued to drive by on the highway. The flames were high enough that they caught one of the trees in the golf course on fire.

Police and fire units arrived. Police blocked the road to prevent westbound vehicles from passing and briefly blocked eastbound vehicles as well.

The driver, who was uninjured, took refuge with neighbors.

The vehicle is destroyed. Photo by Debbie Frank Seger

A lone firefighter tamped down the blaze. The fire continued to flare up, accompanied by intermittent explosions. Firefighters stayed on scene until the fire was completely extinguished.

Police continued to block one lane of the highway for an hour until the vehicle could be towed.

The neighbor gave the driver a ride home.