Car Hits Hydrant, Catches Fire

A car with dysfunctional brakes in Berkeley Tuesday slammed into an Ashby Avenue fire hydrant and then burst into a flames.

The driver of a car apparently could not stop the vehicle when the brakes failed to work. The car jumped the sidewalk at King Street and came to rest on a fire hydrant, where an engine fire broke out around 12:45 p.m., Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong said.

Firefighters and paramedics found the engine compartment on fire and the driver and sole occupant suffering from minor injures, Dong said.

The driver was able to get out of the car and she was treated at the scene, Dong said. The fire, which started in the engine, was quickly extinguished. The hydrant was not damaged in the crash.

-- Bay City News Service