A hot-and-heavy

car fire nearly turned into a rolling traffic hazard on Ga. Highway 54

late Thursday afternoon during the afternoon drive home for many motorists.

Originally,

the car on fire was stationed on Yorktown Drive near the entrance to Georgia

Baptist Urgent Care, said Fayetteville Fire Chief Alan Jones. But during

the blaze, it began to roll back down the hill toward Hwy. 54 where,fortunately,

the city's fire inspector had parked his car and began to put on his turnout

gear, Jones said.

"He had

to jump away," Jones said, noting that no one was injured and the

damage to the inspector's car was limited.

The car on

fire struck the fire inspector's vehicle and came to a stop before it

could reach the westbound lanes of Hwy. 54, Jones said. Because the fire

engine wasn't in the station at the time of the call, it took four minutes

for it to reach the scene, the chief added.

The fire was

extinguished but an later examination of the vehicle didn't turn up any

evidence to how the blaze started, Jones said.

"We couldn't

determine the exact cause of the fire because the damage was so extensive,"

Jones said.

Typically,

fire crews responding to vehicle accidents make sure to first secure the

vehicles so they don't roll away, Jones said. But in this instance, there

was no time to reach the vehicle that was on fire before it began to roll

down the hill, the chief added.