Photo by Betsy Levinson

Car fire sends smoke billowing over Elm Street

August 5, 2024

By Erin Tiernan and Betsy Levinson — Concord Bridge Staff

A car fire sent smoke billowing over Elm Street Monday morning after what one woman thought was run-of-the-mill car trouble turned out to be something more, public safety officials said.

No one was hurt, but the fire department said the car was a total loss. 

A woman was driving east toward Boston around 9:45 a.m., Concord Fire Captain Sean Murphy said, when she noticed her Honda CR-V was experiencing some sort of mechanical issue. She pulled off the highway and stopped at Concord Gas and Carwash on Elm Street.

Photo by Betsy Levinson

Murphy said the driver told firefighters she could feel the car “sputtering” as she pulled into a parking space. 

“She shut the car off and smoke started coming from the engine,” Murphy said.

A Concord Bridge reporter saw “billowing smoke” in the area from the flames, which Murphy said first responders easily extinguished.

The captain reminded drivers to “maintain their inspection stickers and get regular oil changes” to avoid a similar fate.