No One Injured When Two Vehicles Caught Fire

A two-vehicle fire happened after one rear-ended the other, seriously damaging both vehicles but causing no injuries Sunday afternoon.

The Orland Fire Protection District was called about a vehicle crash on Wolf Road about a quarter mile south of 159th Street around 3:15 p.m. Sunday, according to Orland Fire Battalion Chief William Bonnar Jr. The caller, an off-duty Berwyn fire officer then called back to say the vehicles were on fire.

A black sedan rear-ended a pickup truck while both vehicles were heading north on Wolf Road, causing air bags to deflate and then igniting flames, Bonnar said. Firefighters had the flames under control in about 10 minutes.

“It’s possible that when the car rear ended the truck, it might have broken a fuel line somewhere on one of the vehicles, and it went off,” Bonnar said.

Shoppers at the nearby Walgreens heard a loud boom, and black smoke could be seen from the area.

What exactly caused the accident was not immediately available Sunday.

“Whatever it was, it was enough to set air bags off,” Bonnar said about the accident. “Coming down the street, we could see a lot of smoke.”

The truck was charred from bumper to bumper, and all four tires melted off. The sedan was burnt mostly around the crumpled front end.

Wolf Road was blocked in both directions at the accident spot. Firefighters were finishing removal of debris and cleaning up the roadway around 4 p.m. 

Looking for more fire stories?

• Lightning Blamed in Two Orland Fires
• Drunk Driver Car Crashes Into Orland Park House
• Dryer Fire at Orland Park Laundromat

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