FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — No one was injured when a van caught fire in front of gas pump in Forsyth County Friday.
The driver pulled his work van into the Shell station on the corner of Hwy 142 and Hwy 20 when it burst into flames.
Firefighters worked quickly to keep the fire from spreading to the pumps.
A passerby captured dramatic video of the scene on their cellphone while sitting at a stoplight and sent it to Channel 2 Action News.
“It was concerning, definitely,” witness John White said.
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White is a TV production teacher at West Forsyth High School. He was heading to the school when he spotted the work van in flames.
“The vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, lots of flames. You see the explosion of the magnesium components of the engine, and the fire crew was there spraying it with the foam and putting it out,” he said.
White said he initially feared someone was trapped inside the burning vehicle.
“I didn’t see any ambulances. I didn’t see anybody pulled away from the vehicle so I assumed there wasn’t anyone in it so that was a good thing,” he said.
He and other witnesses were also worried that a massive explosion was about to happen.
“The one thing I thought about and everyone was concerned about, and the police officers as well, they didn't know if the pumps were off,” he said.
A gas station worker told Channel 2’s Tom Regan that the clerk on duty spotted the fire early on and immediately cut off fuel to all of the pumps, but the van continued to burn.
The cause of the fire is likely engine-related but it’s still under investigation