Crime & Safety
JPD Issues Report on Atwood Avenue Car Fire
A Johnston man was driving Atwood Avenue when his Caravan stalled, then caught fire.
The driver of a 2006 Dodge Caravan escaped his vehicle unharmed as flames engulfed the engine compartment early Friday afternoon.
According to Johnston Police, James Weeks, of Johnston, was trying to take a left turn onto the Route 6 West onramp from Atwood Avenue when his van stalled.
When Weeks tried to restart the van, “he heard a loud bang come from the engine,” according to Ptlm. Matthew Winsor’s report. The engine began to smoke, and another driver reportedly yelled to Weeks that the car was on fire and he needed to get out.
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Weeks stated in the police report that the flames were in the engine compartment when he got out of the van. When Winsor arrived at the scene the flames were also coming from under the vehicle, according to the police report.
Winsor approached Weeks, who was standing on the sidewalk, and learned that Weeks was not injured and no one else was in the vehicle. Firefighters from the Johnston Fire Department arrived and “quickly extinguished the fire,” according to Winsor’s report. The vehicle was towed from the scene.
