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Fire destroys car, scorches hillside near I-5 in Lacey

Southbound I-5 traffic was delayed about three hours Monday afternoon after a car caught fire and burned a hillside in Lacey, according to Washington State Patrol.
Southbound I-5 traffic was delayed about three hours Monday afternoon after a car caught fire and burned a hillside in Lacey, according to Washington State Patrol. Courtesy

A car was destroyed by fire and that same blaze scorched a hillside near I-5 in Lacey, according to Washington State Patrol.

About 2 p.m. Monday, the driver was headed south on I-5, near Meridian Road in Lacey, when the elderly man’s car began to have problems, according to Trooper Robert Reyer.

The man pulled over to the right shoulder of the freeway, then watched as the engine caught fire and eventually spread along the vehicle and hillside. No one was injured, Reyer said.

Lacey Fire District 3 was able to extinguish the blaze before it reached a row of trees, he said.

Troopers closed two southbound lanes during the fire, then reopened one lane for traffic. Traffic was slowed in the area for about three hours, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The driver was picked up by family in Tacoma, Reyer said.

This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 11:32 AM.

Rolf Boone
The Olympian
Rolf has worked at The Olympian since August 2005. He covers breaking news, the city of Lacey and business for the paper. Rolf graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1990. Support my work with a digital subscription
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