Two People Escape a Car Fire on Route 15 in Wallingford

Two occupants of a sedan who were driving southbound on Route 15 were able to escape unscathed after their car caught fire Tuesday evening.

Wallingford firefighters responded to a report of a car fire at 6:30 p.m. where they found the vehicle ablaze in the grassy area on the side of the Merritt Parkway between Exits 65 and 66, officials said. The department put the fire out and no one was injured.

Wallingford resident Sarah Mitchel provided Patch with photos of the incident. She said the two people in the car had gotten out safely and were standing outside of the vehicle when she pulled over to see if she could help.

"Another car stopped right after us and helped the people get around to the front," Mitchel said in an email to Patch. “(They) actually sat in the other person’s car to warm up as they were both soaking wet."

Mitchel said the flames were so intense that vehicles driving by had to shift over a whole lane just to avoid the heat.

“I’m just glad everyone was OK,” Mitchel said. “Definitely not something you expect to see on a typical drive home from work.”

The incident also snarled traffic for over an hour, backing cars up to a crawl between the two exits as responders removed the torched vehicle from the scene.

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