BCSO patrol car goes up in flames, burns during traffic stop

No injuries reported from fire

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A traffic stop in Northeast Bexar County early Wednesday morning proved to be a costly experience—not for the driver who was stopped, but for the sheriff’s deputy.

According to deputies at the scene in the 5400 block of Wood Glen, a Bexar County sheriff’s patrol car caught fire and was destroyed in what one of them called “a freak accident.”

They say it happened after one deputy had stepped out of the vehicle to talk to a driver who he had stopped for a traffic violation before 4 a.m.

A second deputy who arrived to help noticed smoke coming from the first deputy’s vehicle.

The car quickly went up in flames.

Deputies say the patrol car had a box of flares in its trunk which somehow ignited, starting the fire.

By the time it had been put out, all that was left was a burned out shell of that SUV.

The heat from the fire caused damage to at least two vehicles parked nearby.

It also melted a trash can in a driveway, leaving a huge hole in it.

Neighbors told KSAT12 at one point, they heard what sounded like ammunition exploding inside the burning vehicle.

However, deputies say there were no injuries reported.

Firefighters were called back later to clean up fuel that had spilled from the patrol car.


About the Authors:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.