SUV 'Engulfed In Flames' Slows Traffic On I-696 Friday
SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - An SUV fire at I-696 Eastbound before Evergreen Rd. (Exit 11) slowed traffic to a crawl, early Friday afternoon.
WWJ Newsradio 950 listener Eric Bylecki, who noticed the slowdown when he was getting on eastbound 696 from Northwestern Highway says he saw the vehicle on fire, in the right lane.
"There's an Audi SUV that's completely engulfed in flames; the entire hood is completely on fire and the fire's spreading back toward the cab of the vehicle," he said. "There's four or five people standing about, I don't know, 500 yards away on the shoulder. There's a semi truck that's pulled over."
It was not immediately known if there were any injuries.
Motorists have been slowing down on westbound 696 to get a look at what's happening, slowing traffic on that side as well.
WWJ's Mike Campbell later drove by the scene and reported that firefighters did put the fire out, leaving the scorched SUV sitting under an overpass for the time being.
At 1:30 p.m. WWJ's Lorna Stevens said authorities were still in the process of clearing the scene, and traffic was backed up until just before the M-10, the Lodge.
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