Quick thinking by patrons at a gas station on Main Road on Washington Island Wednesday afternoon may have kept a fire in a vehicle parked at the pump from spreading. Shortly after noon, an islander pumping gas noticed that his vehicle was starting to smoke. He yelled for help and two individuals from Mann’s Mercantile nearby came to his aid. The burning vehicle, which had been put in neutral, was pushed about 50 yards to a safer location away from the gas pump. The van was fully engulfed in flames when the Washington Island Fire Department arrived on the scene. Firefighters used a couple thousand gallons of water and a quantity of foam to douse the blaze. The van is a total loss. It’s believed that some sort of problem with the engine caused the fire. There were no injuries.
