Susan McKern of Yelm was five minutes away from her home when smoke appeared from the dashboard of her vehicle on Wednesday, Feb. 21. She had noticed a “rattling noise” from her radio, and her CD was skipping.
McKern, who was heading southbound, pulled over in front of Mat Magick Massage & Bodywork on South First Street in Yelm and exited the vehicle to call 911, when her car suddenly burst into flames. Southeast Thurston Fire quickly arrived at 5:15 p.m. and extinguished the fire within 30 seconds, crews said, but the car was deemed a total loss.
McKern was the only person in the vehicle and did not report any injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the blaze. Shortly after fire crews left the scene, a tow truck removed her charred vehicle.
McKern said she had previously taken her vehicle to a mechanic to investigate the “rattling noise” coming from her radio, but she said “they didn’t know what to do with it.”
