A white Chevrolet Silverado caught fire this afternoon at the corner of Marine Parkway and Island Parkway near Redwood Shores. There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.
After driving down the 101 Freeway, the driver of the Silverado, Jennifer Amerio, noticed a fire on the side of the freeway. After driving through the smoke, he noticed that his truck was acting strangely.
“Within a minute, the truck started not wanting to shift gears or go any faster,” Amerio said. “It went on for maybe a minute or two, then it went back to normal. I sped up and ended up going down the freeway and down that exit.”
While it is unknown if the fire and its smoke were the cause of the crash, the problem soon returned after taking the 412 exit and driving onto Marine Parkway.
“After we left the freeway, the truck started smoking,” Amerio said. “I got out of the car, but didn’t have time to grab any of our belongings before it started flaming and exploding.”
Amerio reported that he had no previous problems with his vehicle, even after driving 12 hours from Arizona on Friday.
Amerio called 911 at approximately 4:29 p.m.; authorities arrived soon after. Firefighters from the San Mateo Fire Department worked with towing service personnel to remove the charred remains of the vehicle from the street.
Firefighters were unable to register for an official statement, but the scene was fully cleared about an hour later, at 5:32 p.m. At the time of this post there are burn marks around the burn site.
“No one was hurt and we’re all safe, so we’re thankful for that,” Amerio said.
*This is breaking news. The article will be updated with more information.
This photo was taken shortly after the initial fire started; shows how the fire quickly consumed the vehicle inside and out.
