Dramatic video shows intense smoke billowing out from underneath the hood of a car right next to a gas pump.
“I just said, ‘Oh my God, I could have been stuck in that car,'” the driver, 68-year-old Elizabeth June, said.
Video from inside Moody’s gas station on Robert Road in Slidell shows the moment employees noticed something was terribly wrong. They rushed outside, alerted the owner and headed toward the driver.
“I started to yell, ‘Shut off the pumps, shut off the pumps,'” the owner said, “I was afraid the car would blow up when we were close to it.”
The rescue became a team effort; employees called 911, and a state trooper who just happened to be at the gas station sprang into action and grabbed a fire extinguisher. Slidell’s District 1 fire crew arrived in minutes. Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Brian Macaluso explained the initial steps taken by him and the captain on scene.
“So immediately he’s got the line ready to go; we charge it. While he’s doing that, we know we have to pop the hood.” Macaluso said. “So, I start working with the operator and get a Halligan, which we ended up going to a spreader to pop the hood.”
Eventually, the video shows flames bursting from the hood of the car. June remains shocked by the entire ordeal. She tells WDSU the car did not give her any trouble as she ran errands earlier that day.
“It just died; I don’t know why it died,” June said.
June said she is grateful for the gas station owner and everyone else who helped her live to see another day.
At this time, Slidell fire officials have not officially determined the cause of the fire.
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