Car catches fire on Sisters highway

The occupants got out before the fire destroyed their car in a freakish accident in Sisters.

A pair of students heading over the Cascades to Western Baptist College in Salem escaped injury on Monday, November 26, when their Jeep Cherokee caught fire and burned to the wheel rims on Highway 20 in Sisters.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports, the axle on the Jeep Cherokee apparently broke and punctured the gas tank. A spark ignited the spilled gasoline, causing the vehicle to burst into flames.

The driver and passenger were able to pull over to the shoulder in front of Ponderosa Lodge and escape the vehicle without injury.

The vehicle and everything in it, however, was consumed in the flames that raged until a Sisters fire crew arrived to douse the fire.