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Car Fire

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Mom, 2 Kids Escape Minivan Fire on Route 15

No one was injured in blaze on Thursday afternoon in Sparta.

No one was injured when a minivan burst into flames on Route 15 South Thursday afternoon, Sparta Police said. A Vernon woman was traveling with her two children, ages 8 and 13, on the highway by the Blue Heron Interchange when she noticed smoke coming from her Mercury Villager, according to Sgt. John-Paul Beebe. The woman pulled over by the 11-mile marker and was able to escape safely with her two children before the car caught on fire, Beebe said. When the Sparta Fire Department arrived around 1:30 p.m., the minivan was completely engulfed, and was able to extinguish the blaze within minutes, Beebe said. The exact cause of the fire, which destroyed the vehicle, is unkown, but Beebe said it was some type of mechanical defect. Sparta Police…

Friday, December 7, 2012

Flaming Car Shut Down Route 15

Man reported his vehicle was filling with smoke before he pulled over and it caught on fire.

Route 15 North in Sparta was closed for more than an hour Thursday afternoon after a car caught on flames. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred just after 4 p.m., according to Sparta Township Police Sgt. John-Paul Beebe. Frank Sanfilippo, a 45-year-old Ogdensburg resident, was driving his 2011 Ford Focus on the highway when he called police to report that his car was filling with smoke. He pulled over near the 9.5 mile-marker and exited the car just before it caught on fire. The Sparta Fire Department responded and put out the flames. Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

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