Car Burns at Fire Department

A Mountain City man drives his burning truck to the Fire Department to have it extinguished.

According to a report on file with the Clayton Police Department, the vehicle was smoking as he traveled on Highway 76 West in the area of the Rabun County Courthouse around 7:30 Monday morning.

The man drove it to Station 1 in Clayton to have the fire put out, only to discover that no one was at the volunteer fire station at the time.

Captain Ryan Bramblett with the Clayton Fire Department said that firefighters responded quickly, however.

“We were able to get there pretty quickly and extinguish it in about fifteen minutes,” said Bramblett. “I think we had five volunteers show up. For that early in the morning and half of us are working other fire departments in between, that’s a pretty good response.”

While the vehicle was burning, it rolled about 50 feet down an embankment on the north side of Station 1.

The vehicle is described as a total loss.

Bramblett says that in the event of a motor vehicle fire while driving, it is best to pull over as soon as possible and call 911.

“Pull it over on the side of the road safely away from any structures or any other vehicles that could cause a hazard,” said Bramblett. “Get out of the vehicle and stay at a safe distance until help arrives.”

Also, put the vehicle in park and engage the emergency brake if possible.