Car Fire Interrupts Visit to Hospital

SWAN — A man ran into an unexpected problem Saturday as he headed to Tyler to visit his wife in the hospital. KETK reports his car caught fire along Highway 69 just north of Tyler Pipe. James Smith says smoke started pouring from his hood and flames sprang from under the dashboard. Smith said he had just filled up when the fire broke out. Lindale firefighters managed to douse the flames in a matter of minutes, but the car, which Smith termed his “pride and joy,” was destroyed. Smith noted, “At least I got out of it.” Southbound traffic was allowed to pass even though firefighters were attending to the vehicle.