Firefighters responded Friday afternoon to a vehicle that was engulfed in flames on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara.
The blaze was reported shortly before 3 p.m. on the side of the northbound freeway lanes at Las Positas Road, near Earl Warren Showgrounds, according to Battalion Chief Jim McCoy of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
An off-duty firefighter was the first one on scene, and helped the driver, a UCSB student, remove some of her belongings from the car, which she had just purchased a few days before, McCoy said.
Heavy flames and smoke were pouring from the Volkswagen convertible when the three engine crews arrived on scene.
Firefighters were able to quickly douse the flames, which had spread to some nearby eucalyptus trees, McCoy said.
No injuries were reported, but the vehicle was a total loss, he added.
Freeway traffic was slowed for a time in the area of the fire, but the highway remained open.
An investigators responded to search for the cause of the blaze.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
