Traffic cameras in Washington captured the astonishing moment a man stopped to take a selfie minutes after his car burst into flames.
Just before 2 a.m. Friday, the Washington State Department of Transportation captured a car engulfed in flames on the shoulder of Interstate 5 near 73rd Street East on its street traffic cameras. ABC News 4 reported.
In the footage, the unnamed man appears to walk nonchalantly around his burning RAV4, apparently investigating the scene.
At one point, the driver walks even closer to the fire and opens the driver’s side door.
He remains so close to his vehicle that it seems as if the fire is about to devour him.
Traffic cameras in Washington captured the moment an unnamed man stumbled into the right lane of an interstate before apparently taking a selfie with the raging fire.
Just before 2 a.m. Friday, the Washington State Department of Transportation captured a car engulfed in flames on the shoulder of Interstate 5 with its street traffic cameras.
Just seconds before crews arrived to extinguish the fire, the man appears to stumble into the right lane of the interstate before picking up his phone and taking a selfie with the raging fire as a backdrop.
He then walks back to the barrier and takes a seat as the flashing lights of emergency service vehicles approach the scene.
As the firefighters exit their truck and head toward the fire, the man appears unable to sit still and moves constantly before parking himself back at the barrier and dropping his head into his lap.
The situation seems to worsen when the fireball begins to emit a series of explosions and sparks moments after the firefighters arrived.
Huge clouds of red and black smoke begin to saturate the frame as firefighters hose down the vehicle, apparently bringing the incident under control in just a few minutes.
As firefighters spent the final seconds of the footage completely extinguishing the fire, the man can be seen speaking to a police officer before backing away and attempting to sit on the barrier again.
In the footage, the unnamed man appears to walk nonchalantly around his burning RAV4.
At one point, the driver walks even closer to the fire and opens the driver’s side door.
But just a second later, he stands up and turns around as the police officer appears to handcuff him.
The SUV was towed immediately after the flames were successfully extinguished.
Wyatt Pearson, a Washington State Patrol trooper, told ABC that no one was injured from the ordeal.
But the driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of drink-driving and resisting arrest.
Officers later found drugs and drug paraphernalia in the man’s car.
He was later booked into jail where he was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, drug possession, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, but authorities are opening an investigation into how the fire started.
The unnamed man is then seen in the footage stumbling in the right lane of the interstate.
Huge clouds of red and black smoke began to fill the frame as firefighters hosed down the vehicle, apparently bringing the incident under control in just a few minutes.
Huge clouds of red and black smoke began to fill the frame as firefighters hosed down the vehicle, apparently bringing the incident under control in just a few minutes.
Car fires are quite rare. In 2021, approximately 174,000 vehicle fires were recorded nationwide, according to statesman.
The most common cause of such fires is when flammable liquids, including gasoline and oil, are accidentally ignited by a spark, an overheated engine or hot exhaust, according to Dulaney Lauer Thomas.
Many flammable liquids can evaporate easily, including automobile fumes and vapors. Even if there is no leak in the gas tank, the vapors from the tank alone can sometimes be enough to create a flame large enough to travel back to the tank and ignite the fuel.
Similarly, the oil vapors in the car engine are specifically designed to ignite, all with the help of the engine’s spark plugs.
If the same ignition is not controlled and too much steam is expelled, the possibility of an explosion is on the table.
And, of course, the electronic devices and technology that make up most of today’s cars can pose a fire risk. Radios, power windows and seats, sunroofs, and seat heaters require electricity to operate.
If a single electrical cord becomes damaged or malfunctions, there is a possibility of an electrical fire.
It could create a spark that could cause a fire in the wiring or behind the dashboard. It could also ignite upholstery and other flammable items inside the vehicle.
A driver convicted of DUI in court risks having his or her license suspended for 90 days to four years.
