Heavy black smoke was visible on U.S. 27 Tuesday afternoon as West Sebring firefighters rushed to extinguish a fire that fully engulfed a 2002 Ford Windstar van that was parked on the shoulder right in front of the Heacock building.
Driver Joan Geary said she quickly pulled her van off to the side of the southbound lane after she started smelling something.
She and her young granddaughter, who she did not wish to name, were safely out of the van before it caught fire.
"I haven't even made the first payment on it yet," Geary said.
The van has been in her possession for one week and two days and already had a laundry list of problems before Tuesday's fire, according to Geary.
Some of those issues were transmission and steering problems.
"It's been a lemon," Geary said.
The exact cause of the fire was not known at press time, but Geary said she had just topped it off with gas before the blaze started. West Sebring Capt. Rob Singles said the fire originated in the engine compartment.
West Sebring firefighters were assisted on the scene by deputies with the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.
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