An older model Cadillac burst into flames Monday afternoon next to the gas pumps at a Fruitland Park minimart.
Firefighters from Fruitland Park and Lake County, along with officers from the Fruitland Park Police Department, responded to the call at about 3 p.m. at the Circle K at the corner of County Road 466A and County Road 25A. The first officers who arrived on scene battled the blaze with fire extinguishers until the two fire engines arrived and crews were able to douse the fast-moving blaze with water.
The fire appears to have started in the engine compartment of the 1996 white Cadillac and then spread to the passenger area. The driver reported hearing the doors lock when he stopped at the pump and then seeing the smoke, an official at the scene said, adding that the man escaped through the passenger-side door.
Officials also said the manger inside the Circle K store deserves praise for quickly following the store’s protocol and shutting down the gas pumps from both an inside and outside switch, thereby eliminating the danger of the flames igniting the pumps and possibly becoming a much bigger fire or causing an explosion.
