A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
ST. GEORGE— Heavy traffic congestion occurred of the roads over and around Foremaster Ridge Wednesday afternoon as a vehicle fire shut down the segment of Riverside Drive that curves around the west side of the ridge.
Around 3:25 p.m., Cleve Hales was taking his 1957 Porsche Speedster replica to a mechanic in order to have a “clicking sound” looked at, he told St. George News while standing next to the charred remains of the car.
After making the northwest turn around Foremaster Ridge toward the Foremaster Drive-Riverside Drive intersection, Hales said something odd was happening with the car’s engine and he pulled over to have a look at it.
Hales went to open the hood over the engine in the rear of the car “and fire came out,” he said.
Hales was not injured.
The fire completely consumed the car. Smoke could be seen from Interstate 15.
The St. George Fire Department responded to the scene and put out the fire, but the car was a total loss by then.
While firefighters dealt with the burning car, St. George Police officers shut down access to Riverside Drive between River Road and Foremaster Drive. Traffic in the area began to backup and become congested as many motorists moved toward and over Foremaster Ridge via Foremaster Drive.
The nearby Mall Drive-Riverside Drive intersection also became congested, as were various spots on River Road between Mall Drive and Riverside Drive until about 4:20 p.m. when the impacted segment of River Road was reopened.
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A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
A 1957 Porsche Speedster replica caught fire on Riverside Drive on the west side of Foremaster Ridge, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
The red circle marks the general location of the vehicle fire on Riverside Drive that occurred in St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2018 | Image courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mori Kessler serves as a Senior Reporter for St. George News, having previously contributed as a writer and Interim Editor in 2011-12, and an assistant editor from 2012 to mid-2014. He began writing news as a freelancer in 2009 for Today in Dixie, and joined the writing staff of St. George News in mid-2010. He enjoys photography and won an award for photojournalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a 2018 photo of a bee inspector removing ferals bees from a Washington City home. He is also a shameless nerd and has a bad sense of direction.
Why didn’t they write an article about how it was before it was burned? That would have been nicer for everyone and not offend people who are sensitive about unsettling scenes of potential death and detrition . ANSWER ME THAT
I saw the smoke up on the hill and wondered what was going on.
I got a kick out of the picture because of the. for sale. sign in the background. LOL !
Ha, good catch 🙂
That’s just a major bummer.
These are unsettling pictures. Someone could have died in fire! Why would you even post them. Is there a halloween theme on STG news now?
Oooooh man. It must be really hard to get through life if you’re unsettled by a picture of a car that caught on fire where no one was hurt.
Why didn’t they write an article about how it was before it was burned? That would have been nicer for everyone and not offend people who are sensitive about unsettling scenes of potential death and detrition . ANSWER ME THAT
How about you get a life !
Yes. Thank you. you should get a life ARCANA and stop yelling at old fat ladies like me