Vehicle fire draws attention in downtown Niles

Published 9:23 am Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Leader photo/AMBROSIA NELDON Niles firefighters put out a vehicle fire in the Riverfront Plaza parking lot Monday afternoon.

Leader photo/AMBROSIA NELDON
Niles firefighters put out a vehicle fire in the Riverfront Plaza parking lot Monday afternoon.

A vehicle fire caused quite a stir in downtown Niles Monday afternoon as crews were dispatched to the Riverfront Plaza parking lot to put out the flames.

Shannon Elms, of Niles, said she was driving down Front Street toward the plaza on East Main Street when she realized her 1999 red Dodge Dakota was on fire at around 4:30 p.m.

“[The truck] stalled at the light and I started it up and jumped out,” Elms said.

Donald Dillan, who works at Rent-a-Center in the plaza, said he yelled to the woman that her car was on fire before retrieving two fire extinguishers from the store.

“I tried to put it out, but it really just made it more engulfed in flames,” Dillan said.

Elms said another woman called 911, and within moments the Niles City Fire Department was there to assist in putting out the fire.

There were no injuries reported resulting from the blaze.