Firefighters extinguished a grass and car fire Sunday following a crash near the intersection of North Ninth Street and West Hills Road, Philomath Fire and Rescue reported.
Deputy Fire Chief Rich Saalsaa said there were no injuries from the incident, which involved a single vehicle off the road.
The fire department responded at 7:11 p.m. July 16 with a report that the vehicle was leaking fluid. Saalsaa was the first on scene to help with traffic control and discovered the car was on fire and spreading to the surrounding grass and blackberries.
An engine with a crew of four soon extinguished the fire within minutes of arrival.
“The windy conditions were a concern for spread, but the engine crew made fast work of the fire,” Saalsaa said.
The roadway was closed for approximately 20 minutes during the operation of the incident, which included mop-up of the fire.
“The hot engine likely started the grasses on fire first, which then spread to the blackberries and into the engine compartment,” Saalsaa said. “The vehicle engine is a total loss, but the vehicle contents were not affected.”
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted with traffic control, took over the scene and followed up with an investigation of the crash.