Firefighters make quick work of car fire on Main Road in Mattituck

A burning car shut down traffic on Main Road in Mattituck late Friday morning.

Southold Police said the driver of a Subaru noticed all his warning lights going on at once and pulled over and got out of the car, which soon after burst into flames. Police said the driver was unharmed.

The burning car, which caught fire across the street from a gas station, sent columns of black smoke billowing into the clear morning sky. Mattituck Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. 

MATTITUCK FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE BLAZE. (CREDIT: CHRIS FRANCESCANI)

The fire “started in the motor,” said Shin Caliskan, an employee of the Gulf gas station across the street. “The guy was still in the car on his phone talking to somebody.” 

Mr. Caliskan said he and a colleague “ran over to him and said, ‘Get out! Get out! Your car is on fire!’
“I’m still in shock,” he concluded, about an hour after the fire had been extinguished and the car towed away.