There were some tense moments during the lunch hour on the North Georgia Technical College campus in Clarkesville on Monday. A student’s car caught fire near Ramsey Hunter Dining Hall, causing concerns that it might spread to nearby vehicles.
Students looked on as the smoke grew thick and pieces of the burning engine fell to the ground.
A campus police officer tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. He pushed back the flames but was unable to reach the source of the fire under the hood.
The officer’s quick actions did give at least one nearby vehicle owner time to move their vehicle.
The officer fought the fire until Clarkesville firefighters arrived.
Firefighters doused the flames with a high-pressure water hose. They wedged open the hood with crowbars and axes to gain access to the burning engine. Several minutes after they arrived, the fire was out.
A college spokesperson says a “bad battery” apparently started the fire.
The student’s car appeared totaled, but the fire did not cause any other property damage, says NGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Marketing Amy Hulsey.
Habersham County Emergency Services sent a fire engine and several personnel to assist at the scene.
