Employees saved the day at a Giant gas station in Cortez Friday when a car on fire pulled up to the pumps.
Heather McDonald happened to be following the burning Audi sedan into the 2021 E. Main Street station, and quickly informed employees.
Station attendant Jackie Hood jumped into action, grabbing a fire extinguisher and calling 911 while she ran outside to douse the flames.
At the same time, attendant Matilda Begay hit the emergency shutoff for the gas pumps. No one was injured, and the engine fire was extinguished.
McDonald said when the driver stopped, he opened the hood and “flames shot out everywhere, then he closed it.”
The Cortez Fire Protection District and Cortez Police quickly responded to the fire. Firefighters used a pry bar and bolt cutters to open the hood which had become stuck closed as white smoke poured out the sides. Once open, they further doused the engine.
“It makes for an interesting shift,” Begay said.
It was not known what caused the fire. The driver was passing through Cortez.
