Truck catches fire near Coast Highway

An unidentified bystander stopped a runaway truck that caught fire Tuesday morning as it approached East Coast Highway in Corona del Mar.

An elderly man was driving southbound on Marigold Avenue toward the 3300 block of the highway just before 10:30 a.m., when his 1970 Chevy truck stalled and a large puff of smoke erupted from the engine, said Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Kitch.

“When the truck stalled, the driver jumped out, but the truck was still rolling toward East Coast Highway,” he said.

One bystander threw a fire extinguisher under its tires, but the truck ran over it and continued moving. Another person threw an unknown object under the truck, stopping it in the middle of the highway.

“We don’t know who threw the object or what they threw, but by doing that it averted a potentially very dangerous situation,” Kitch said.

Firefighters from the Fashion Island station extinguished the fire.

Kitch said there were no injuries.

— Hannah Fry