Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Trooper R. Ward, of Tallahassee, was on patrol on Interstate 10, at the mile marker 242 (westbound) in Madison County on Monday, May 30, at an approximate time of 8:57 p.m.
While attending to a traffic stop, Trooper Ward noticed fire coming from the hood and engine area of his 2012 Dodge Charger patrol vehicle.
Trooper Ward notified Tallahassee Regional Communications Center (TRCC), which in turn notified Madison Fire Rescue (MFR) and a FHP crash investigator to attend to the scene.
While waiting for first responders to arrive on scene, Trooper Ward tried to extinguish the flames using his department issued fire extinguisher. But, despite his attempts to reduce the flames, Trooper Ward was unsuccessful and the fire under the hood continued to grow.
Another FHP Trooper, W. Harrell, arrived on scene and upon noticing that the fire was not being controlled by the fire extinguisher, Trooper Harrell advised that Trooper Ward put distance between himself and the burning car.
Once both troopers created distance, two units shut down the interstate until MFR could put out the fire.
The fire is likely to have been caused by a malfunction in the engine area and the entire car was damaged, with the exception of the trunk area.
Despite the risks that can accompany a burning vehicle, no one was injured during the incident.