Page One
Car Hits Berkeley Fire Hydrant, Bursts into Flames on Ashby
A car with dysfunctional brakes in Berkeley hit a fire hydrant and then burst into an engine fire on Tuesday, a Berkeley fire official said Wednesday.
The driver of a car traveling along Ashby Avenue at King Street apparently could not stop the vehicle when the brakes failed to work. The car jumped the sidewalk and came to rest on a fire hydrant, where an engine fire broke out around 12:45 p.m., Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong said.
Firefighters and paramedics found the engine compartment on fire and the driver and sole occupant suffering from minor injures, Dong said.
The driver was able to get out of the car and she was treated at the scene, Dong said.
The fire, which started in the engine, was quickly extinguished, the deputy fire chief said.
The hydrant was not damaged in the crash.
