PORT ANGELES — A stretch of Monroe Road about 2 miles south of U.S. Highway 101 was reopened late Thursday morning after it had been closed while firefighters extinguished a roadside car fire.
Fire crews from Clallam County Fire District No. 2 were called to the 1700 block of Monroe Road just east of Port Angeles at about 9:30 a.m. because of a fire in the engine compartment of a 2005 Subaru Outback, Fire District No. 2 Chief Sam Phillips said.
Both lanes of Monroe Road were closed for about 45 minutes while firefighters put out the blaze, Phillips said.
No injuries were reported, and the fire did not spread, he said.
‘Pop’ in engine compartment
Steve Phillips, the driver of the Subaru, was headed southbound on Monroe Road when a loud pop was heard in the engine compartment, followed by flames, Phillips said.
The driver, no relation to Chief Phillips, pulled to the side of the road and called 9-1-1 emergency dispatchers.
The Subaru recently had undergone engine repairs, Chief Phillips said.
He estimated the damage caused by the fire to be more than $9,000.
The fire had reached into the passenger compartment and scorched the windshield, he said.
Chief Phillips said the car was owned by the Ruddell Auto Mall car dealership.
Two chief officers and an engine with four volunteer firefighters were called to the scene, he said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
