Van destroyed by fire but driver okay | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Van destroyed by fire but driver okay

By Charlotte Helston

It was not the kind of morning a Coldstream woman expected to have. Her vehicle burst into flames as she was traveling along highway 6.

Bonnie Eade was on her way to her dad's to have him check out why her vehicle had been back-firing lately.

"I didn't make it," she says, standing on the side of the highway watching as fire crews douse what's left of her 1997 Dodge van Caravan.

"It was back-firing, then it died, so that's when I pulled over and realized everyone else was pulling over too," she says.

Flames were pouring out of the vehicle.

"I could hear all these bangs and bumps and my horn started going off," Eade says. "I'm pretty shaken up."

A bystander pulled over and phoned 911. Eade watched, tears pouring down her cheeks, as the flames engulfed her car.

Coldstream Fire Department Capt. Rob Smailes says flames were almost as high as the telephone poles when crews arrived on scene.

"The (vehicle) was engulfed in very short order," Smailes says.

No other vehicles were touched by the flames, and crews were able to prevent it from spreading to a grassy area on the edge of the road.

By 10:45 a.m., the fire department had packed up their hoses and left the work to a local towing company. Traffic that had been redirected around the accident was returned to normal.

The interior of the van was burnt to a crisp, and firefighters had to saw open the front hood to fully extinguish the flames.


To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.

 

 

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