Vehicle fire turns into

brush fire Monday

morning on U.S. 421
By Melanie Davis
Melanie@mountaintimes.com

A vehicle fire spread to encompass one half acre of brush just off of U.S. 421 Monday morning.

Daniel Hermendgildo, 28, of Winston-Salem, was traveling southbound toward Boone when a fire started in the engine compartment of his 1991 full-size Chevy van.

Hermendgildo pulled his vehicle over to the side of the road and the van quickly became fully engulfed in flames. He was uninjured.

The flames from the vehicle then spread up the steep embankment near the Watauga/Wilkes county line, and covered one half acre beside the road at 7:45 a.m.

Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department responded with four trucks and more than a dozen firefighters.

Fleetwood Fire Department from Ashe County responded with two trucks and six firefighters, and the Stewart Simmons Volunteer Fire Department from Triplett also sent one truck and two firefighters.

It took nearly two hours to completely extinguish the blaze. The flames were spreading toward two mobile homes in the area; however, firefighters were able to prevent any damage to the homes.

All firefighters were released at 10 a.m., with the exception of two Deep Gap firefighters and one truck. The volunteers were asked by the N.C. Highway Patrol to stay at the scene until the van, which was a complete loss, could be safely towed back to Winston-Salem.

The exact cause of the engine fire is unknown, and Hermendgildo was not cited in the incident