Dramatic Car Fire Erupts on I-35 During Morning Commute

I got a call during our broadcast today from a friend to alert me of a car fire on I-35. It was around 8:25 am on Thursday morning. Thanks to Joe, I was able to give listeners a heads-up about the fire and traffic delays.

I remembered that there are quite a few MNDOT cameras on I-35, and found the one near Ornsby Road where I could see the fire in the distance. It was near the Spirit Mountain Exit on the southbound lanes of I-35.

Maria Plachta

The vehicle, which appears to be a Buick Enclave SUV, was fully engulfed in flames, according to reports on the Twin Ports Road Conditions Facebook Group. Someone described it as "flames shooting out the windows." Another person said they could feel the heat from the fire from inside their passing car. Traffic cameras show the blaze progressed quickly over the course of about 10 minutes.

MNDOT

A police officer arrived first on the scene. The fire hit its peak just before the fire department arrived around 8:35 AM.

MNDOT

Two fire trucks responded, and the fire was extinguished by 8:45 am. There have been no updates about whether there were injuries or the cause of the fire. We'll update you when there is more information.

The Largest Minnesota Wildfires In Modern History

While Minnesota has experienced even larger, more devastating fires like the 350,00-acre Hinckley Fire in 1884 of the 250,000-acre Cloquet-Moose Lake Fire in 1918, fires have thankfully been relatively smaller in more modern times.

Even though these more modern fires have been smaller, largely due to better firefighting capabilities, many have still been devastating and destructive. Here's a look at Minnesota's largest wildfires since 2007 based on information from the Minnesota Incident Command System.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper