Car fire put out at Kwik Trip

MARSHALL -- Emergency responders and gas station managers helped keep people away from a vehicle fire at the Kwik Trip on East College Drive Wednesday afternoon. At one point, the vehicle's engine compartment was fully engulfed in flames, Marshall Fire Chief Quentin Brunsvold said.

"The fire was mostly contained to the engine compartment," Brunsvold said. However, he said it was concerning to have a vehicle fire at a gas station.

Brunsvold said that when the driver of the vehicle first saw the fire, the vehicle was underneath the gas station canopy at the Kwik Trip. The driver was able to move the vehicle out to the edge of the lot, away from the canopy and fuel tanks, he said.

Responders including a Minnesota State trooper who happened to be at the Kwik Trip, Marshall Police, and Kwik Trip management helped keep people away from the fire scene, Brunsvold said. Responders at the scene were also able to use extinguishers to help curb the fire until the fire department arrived, he said.

The Marshall Fire Department was able to put out the fire. While there was some smoke or water damage to the interior of the vehicle, items from the passenger cabin were salvageable, Brunsvold said.

"We believe it was a mechanical failure," that caused the fire, Brunsvold said.