Traffic on the eastern end of St. John was held up for close to half an hour Thursday morning as firefighters battled a full-tilt car fire in the National Park along Centerline Road that threatened to ignite a forest fire.
The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. Vitran bus dispatcher Donna Roberts said around that time one of her drivers spotted smoke coming from the back of a tan Honda Accord headed east toward Bordeaux Mountain.
Another motorist said she tried to alert the driver that something was wrong, but the unidentified male seemed oblivious to the danger.
By the time firefighters from Romeo Company arrived near the entrance to the Reef Bay Trail about 15 minutes later, the Honda was parked by the side of the road, fully ablaze. The driver could not be found.
Fire Service Cpl. Wayne Heyliger was first to arrive on the scene. It took about 40 minutes to put out the fire using water and chemical suppressants, he said.
Heyliger said at one point the gas tank exploded, knocking firefighters back.
A gas can stored in the trunk of the car also ignited, sending orange flames shooting from the back through the closed hatch.
"That's mainly what was burning, the gasoline," Heyliger said.
Trees and brush surrounding the car were also briefly set alight. Heyliger said he didn't know how a forest fire was averted given the recent dry weather conditions.
Lt. Joseph Gumbs of Zone D Command in Cruz Bay said, "We're looking at it as a possible arson. That's under further investigation."
