The car fire. Admit it, It's one of those roadway emergencies everyone feels compelled to watch, me included. It is hard to turn away when you see a car on fire across the road.

Car fires are also an extremely dangerous situation that put the training and skill of firefighters to the test.

The Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company was first on the scene around 5pm Tuesday for a car on fire on the Garden State Parkway.

They included some pretty cool video of their response on their Facebook page, showing the proper way to safely extinguish a car fire.

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For the record, experts say here were around 181,500 highway vehicle fires reported in the USA in 2018. While some car fires are caused by collisions, they are more often caused by problems with a vehicle's electrical wiring, fuel system or even cigarettes left in the car, leaving the engine to catch fire.

State Farm Insurance suggests acting quickly and calmly if you ever experience a car fire.

Recognize that car fires can break out in places other than the engine compartment. They also can occur under the vehicle, near the wheels and brakes, in your dashboard, and even inside the car. In fact, interior fires can be among the most frightening because of your close proximity to the flames, fumes, and smoke.

Here are some car fire safety tips.

  • Stop the car and turn off the ignition.
  • Get every person out of the car, and don't allow anyone to go back to retrieve personal items.
  • Move far from the burning vehicle to avoid the flames and toxic fumes—at least 100 feet—and also keep bystanders back.
  • Call 911.
  • Alert oncoming traffic if possible.

It's generally not recommended that you try to put out the fire yourself. Opening the hood or car doors increases the air supply and may accelerate the fire.

Now that we have all the safety tips out of the way, let's watch the firefighters from the Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Company snuff out this car fire.

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