WINSLOW — A Nissan sedan was destroyed in a fire Wednesday morning while sitting in the driveway of a home in east Winslow.

Winslow firefighters responded to a report of a fully involved vehicle fire at 257 Morrill Road at about 9:25 a.m. and extinguished it within 20 minutes. There were no injuries in the blaze, but fire personnel had to place absorbent pads around the scene of the fire to prevent gasoline from leaking into the well system, according to Winslow Fire Captain Karl Roy. He was unsure how much gasoline leaked out of the car.

Vicki Ines watches as firefighters from the Winslow Fire Department check over her Nissan Altima that was destroyed in a fire Wednesday morning. Staff photo by Peter McGuire

At the scene, car owner Vicki Ines said she started the car and left it running while she was getting ready to leave the house. Ines said she heard the car horn blaring when she was inside and looked out the window to see smoke and flames coming out from underneath the hood.

The fire developed quickly and the car was ablaze by the time firefighters reached the scene, Ines said. She had insurance on the car, she said.

Ines had been having some trouble with the car over the winter and needed to press on the gas pedal to help start it up, she said.

Ines said she bought the used Nissan Altima less than a year ago, but had concerns about the vehicle after purchasing it and recalled telling her friends that she “bought a lemon.”

Roy said that because of the extent of the damage, the cause of the fire could not be determined. The fire may have originated in the engine compartment, which was the area with the most damage, he said.

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