NEW MADISON – State Route 121 was closed for a short period of time Thursday evening while firefighters extinguished a vehicle fire alongside the roadway. At approximately 6:55 p.m. the New Madison Fire Department along with deputies from the Darke County Sheriff’s Department responded to the 300 block of State Route 121 on the report of a vehicle on fire.
According to the Darke County Sheriff’s Office, a preliminary investigation into the incident revealed a 2013 Jeep Wrangler, driven by 40-year-old David Cook, of New Paris, was traveling south on State Route 121. The driver reported the vehicle appeared to have a mechanical malfunction and back-fired and then noticed the vehicle began smoking. Cook pulled the vehicle off the roadway and exited, noticing flames on the passenger side.
State Route 121 was closed briefly in both directions while fire crews worked to extinguish the fire and the wreckage was removed from the scene. No injuries were reported in the incident.
This incident remains under investigation by the Darke County Sheriff’s Department.
