SAN ANGELO, TX — A Dove Creek woman narrowly avoided disaster when her car burst into flames shortly after midnight on July 14, threatening her home and a nearby propane tank before volunteer firefighters arrived within minutes.
Joell Salazar said she was in her living room when she heard a knocking noise and noticed an orange glow, and she initially feared her house was on fire. She ran outside and found her vehicle fully engulfed in flames.
A car fire near Dove Creek kept firefighters busy overnight after a vehicle burst into flames shortly after midnight on July 14.
The Dove Creek Volunteer Fire Department arrived in about 10 minutes. Volunteer firefighter Randi Cooper Whitehead was first on scene and quickly grabbed a water hose to help knock down flames. Whitehead also told Salazar to move a propane tank away from the fire, reportedly with only about a minute to spare before the flames might have reached the gas tank.
“I’m especially thankful for her today,” Salazar posted on social media. “There are so many things I am praising God for. Like the fact that I almost parked under the carport. Or how I almost dismissed the knocking noise and went to sleep. And mainly, that whatever was going wrong with the battery and caused the fire didn't happen with the kids and l inside.”
No injuries were reported, and the fire did not spread to the home, though the car was destroyed.
Earlier that same night, Dove Creek volunteers responded to a crash on U.S. Highway 277 South after a driver hit a loose cow in the roadway. No injuries occurred, and the road was cleared by midnight.
Firefighters returned to the station around 2 a.m.
“Material things are replaceable," Salazar stated. "God is so, so, so good."
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