Two officers with Northumberland OPP escaped uninjured after their cruiser was engulfed in flames on Monday, March 8, 2021 near Highway 401 in Brighton.
The two officers had just filled up at the gas station and were on Telephone Road approaching County Road 30 when flames erupted from underneath the hood of their vehicle at approximately 6 p.m.
Immediately the officers pulled the vehicle over, but flames quickly engulfed the vehicle.
With tires exploding from the heat and ammunition from the two, .223 calibre C-8 rilles going off, police kept curious onlookers well back from the flames.
Because the .223 calibre rounds weren’t chambered, they didn’t have the velocity they would have had if they were in the rifle. Officers removed what was left of the two rifles after the fire was extinguished.
Initially Alnwick-Haldimand Township Fire Department was dispatched to the Telephone Road address of the fire, but a short time later, Brighton Fire Department was dispatched and Alnwick-Haldimand Township Fire Department were cancelled.
The fire is believed to have started in the engine area and spread to the rest of the vehicle.
Ironically, the vehicle had just been serviced and cleared as officers could smell something burning.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
