A car caught fire Saturday evening after slamming into an Amtrak train near the Fort Lauderdale-Oakland Park border, sending flames and thick smoke into the air along the tracks.
The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. near Powerline Road and Prospect Road, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. Emergency crews received several 911 calls reporting the collision, with callers saying a vehicle had caught fire near the tracks.
Firefighters from both Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park responded to find the car engulfed in flames right next to the stopped train. Crews moved quickly to put out the fire, then boarded the train to check on everyone on board.
According to witnesses, the woman driving the car had engine trouble moments before the crash and managed to get out safely just before the train struck the vehicle. A man and his son, who said the driver was a family friend, told reporters they got a call informing them she was unharmed.
One bystander who was driving past the scene described the chaos in the moment, saying it looked like the car was “exploding under the train” as flames shot up from the crash site.
While Broward Sheriff’s deputies said no major injuries were reported, Oakland Park Fire Rescue confirmed that one person from the train was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Fire officials had also been assessing two other individuals at the scene shortly after the crash.
The grade crossings near Powerline and Prospect roads were shut down for a period as crews worked the scene, and traffic in the area was rerouted while the investigation continued.
No cause for the collision has been released so far, and the incident remains under investigation.
This is a developing story and may be updated as more details come in.
