A vehicle fire in Southern Pines didn’t help holiday traffic Friday afternoon.
The driver of a Honda Pilot was able to pull the SUV off the side of U.S. 1 in front of Grace Church. According to radio traffic, he told 911 operators that flames were visible, and the grass was also on fire.
The man was the only occupant in the vehicle and was able to get out unharmed.
The SUV was a total loss, with significant fire damage to the engine compartment and interior of the vehicle. Firefighters arrived and got the fire knocked down within 10 minutes.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time but is believed to have started in the engine compartment.
Southern Pines Fire and Rescue and Southern Pines Police Department had to close both southbound lanes on U.S. 1, and both lanes of traffic had to merge into the Old U.S. 1 oncoming lane to get around the fire scene. This caused traffic to back up nearly a mile on U.S. 1 South.
Some drivers detoured through the Grace Church parking lot, which caused some backups on Murray Hill Road.
~Article, photo, and video by Sandhills Sentinel reporter Curtis Self.
