A car burst into flames in the Soldotna Prep School parking lot Tuesday afternoon.
Central Emergency Services responded to a report of a vehicle fire on Redoubt Avenue at about 2:20 p.m. CES Health and Safety Officer Brad Nelson said when crews arrived the car was completely engulfed in flames.
Nobody was inside the vehicle when it burst in flames. The 16-year-old driver of the 2002 Pontiac sedan pulled over after the speakers in his car went out, Nelson said.
The fire started in the back of the vehicle and it is believed to have been sparked by an electrical shortage. The driver told fire crews he has had trouble with his radio system wiring and a loose wire connection to his speakers. A battery under the rear passenger seat went up in flames and the fire developed in the interior of the car within minutes after he pulled over, Nelson said.
“He opened the trunk to look at the speakers and he smelled smoke and then off it went,” Nelson said. “He pulled over in the perfect place off the roadway and nothing else around him.”
The time of the fire occurred around the end of the school day, but students received direction from staff to stay away from the scene, Nelson said.
Reach Dan Balmer at daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com
