Fire consumes newly purchased car

LaTasha Daniels and Dekevin Shackleford narrowly escaped a fire Tuesday that consumed the car Shackleford had just purchased.

Shackleford, a resident of Snow Hill, bought the 2002 Dodge Intrepid at a Kinston-area used car dealership Tuesday afternoon and was driving home along U.S. 70 West with Daniels - his girlfriend - in the passenger seat.

Daniels, a resident of Ayden, said they noticed the engine was overheating and saw smoke coming from the front and the rear of the car, so they pulled into the nearest gas station to put water in the radiator. They also filled the tank with gas.

She said the couple contacted the dealership about the problem and were driving back in the westbound lanes of U.S. 70 when the car overheated again and smoke began pouring out of it.

Then, things got worse.

"I saw the fire on my side," said Daniels, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Shackleford pulled over near the offices of Tidewater Transit, and he and his girlfriend ran for safety. Neither was injured.

"And I had just filled it with gas," Shackleford said.

He added, pointing at the sky: "It's all thanks to God (we got out)."

La Grange firefighters, with assistance from the North Lenoir Volunteer Fire Department, extinguished the blaze. The entire front of the car was charred.

Lenoir County Sheriff's deputies closed some of U.S. 70's westbound lanes for about an hour.

The Lenoir County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.