Car catches fire with family inside
Craig Lockhart/Courtesy photo<br> Firefighters responded to a car fire on Interstate 90 Monday morning near Moses Lake.
MOSES LAKE — Grant County Fire District 5 responded to a car fire on Interstate 90 near exit 169 Monday morning.
Craig Lockhart, 52, Moses Lake, was traveling back home from Wenatchee, where he was conducting business with vehicle inspections. He was not expecting what he saw.
While driving, he saw smoke coming from the rear of a Volvo sedan traveling in front of him, then flames coming from the rear.
He called 9-1-1 and made attempts to get the driver’s attention to warn them, Lockhart said.
The driver took notice of the flames and pulled over to the shoulder, he said. Lockhart followed, pulling ahead of them.
“There was a young couple with two adorable kids,” he said.
The family was able to exit the vehicle. Lockhart helped to escort the family away from the blaze.
“They escaped the car with nothing but the clothes on their back,” Lockhart said. “We spent some time pulling splinters out of toes in the back seat of my car.”
He said the kids weren’t wearing shoes as they were rushed from the fire.
The family sat in his car as they watched the Volvo burn.
He said several other drivers also pulled over and made attempts to extinguish the flames while firefighters arrived.
Lockhart said he offered the family a place to stay but they were on a road trip to Montana. They left with the Washington State Patrol to obtain a rental vehicle and continue their trip, he said.
The roadway was blocked while firefighters extinguished the flames.
The Moses Lake Fire Department was called to assist with the fire.