An unexpected blaze erupted from the Bridgman parking lot Sunday night when a parked car started on fire.
The engine compartment on a 1991 Acura Integra was engulfed in flames and spreading to the vehicle parked in front of it, according to a University Police report.
“It looked like a huge fireball in the parking lot,” sophomore Andy Trzebiatowski said. “I couldn’t see the car, only flames.”
An officer arrived on the scene at 7:43 p.m. and kept onlooking students away from the vehicle while waiting for the arrival of the Eau Claire Fire Department.
The fire is believed to have started in the area of the vehicle’s engine, and then spread to the rest of the car, Eau Claire Fire Department Battalion Chief Dwayne Grunst said. There was nothing suspicious found in the car, he said, but the case is still under investigation.
The owner of the vehicle was called and she said that her daughter used the car to drive back to UW-Eau Claire after going away for the weekend, the police report stated.
