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Fire engulfs car following crash
Fire personnel from the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services check out the burned vehicle after putting out the flames. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
A car was found engulfed in flames following a crash in Dandan early yesterday morning.
The car reportedly crashed into a power pole along the Dandan main road at around 8:50am yesterday, July 6, and immediately burst into flames.
According to the female caller who reported the accident, the crash had such an impact that it knocked the power pole down. Another car was also involved in the crash and it is believed that it hit the first car and sent it spinning, causing the second vehicle to hit the nearby power pole.
Fortunately, there was no fatalities from the accident.
In a press release from the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, five units in all responded to the call at 8:52am. The first unit arrived at the scene at around 8:58am.
Upon arrival, responding officers observed that the car was already fully engulfed in flames, DFEMS said.
Both Medic 2 and Medic 4 units transported both drivers of the vehicles involved in the accident to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.
Investigators from the Division of Fire Prevention and Arson Investigation arrived on the scene after the fire was extinguished to investigate and assess its cause. The investigation is still ongoing and the cause of the fire will be released at a later date.
Saipan Tribune tried to get a statement from the Department of Public Safety but to no avail.
In an interview with Patrick Matagolai Cepeda, a resident in the area for the last 23 years, he said his wife heard the crash, followed by a loud explosion. After hearing this, the family went out to check and saw that a car had hit a power pole and was on fire.
Cepeda said the area is prone to accidents.
“Since I’ve been here, I think this pole has been replaced over 10 times because it’s always being hit. With the absence of black asphalt before, the roads were much worse. But since they have covered the road in black asphalt, I believe the accidents have decreased,” he said.
