Crime & Safety

Man Escapes Burning Car

Firefighters knocked down the roaring car fire, stopping its spread to the adjacent Swampscott Mall late Tuesday atfernoon.

 

A New Hampshire man escaped a burning car that was parked behind the Swampscott Mall Tuesday afternoon shortly about 5.

The car was right next to the building, behind the Home Goods store.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police evacuated Home Goods and a nearby salon, according to scanner reports.

 arriving to the scene saw the car engulfed in flames that rose to a height equal with the building's roof line, said Capt. Remo Zimbaldi.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Firefighters turned their water hoses on the car, knocking down the 12-foot-high flames, the fire captain said.

A Lynn fire crew checked the interior of the building with a thermal imaging camera to see if the fire had spread.

A Swampscott fire crew climbed a ladder to the roof and checked for fire extension.

The fire did not spread, the captain said.

The man in the Pontiac had been catching some sleep before he started his night shift doing building work at the mall, the captain said.

He had driven to Swampscott from Lebanon, N.H. — more than 100 miles away — to work at the job site.

About 5 pm he awakened and started his car.

After it cranked over he noticed flames shoot out from near a front tire.

He had some difficulty getting out but escaped the vehicle without injury, Capt, Zimbaldi said.

The car looked as if it was burned beyond repair.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.