Man pulled from burning car, then vanishes

An unidentified man apparently escaped injury early Friday after being found unconscious in a burning car.

Elgin firefighters received a call of a car on fire about 6 a.m. The car was parked in front of an auto body shop and across the street from Bluff City Cemetery at 1020 Bluff City Boulevard.

According to Fire Department Captain Dave Schmidt, passers-by saw flames and found the man asleep or unconscious in the drivers seat.

"The passers-by pulled him out," Schmidt said.

By the time the fire department arrived four minutes later, the car was fully involved and the fire had spread to three vehicles nearby.

The man was there initially, but was nowhere to be found once the fire was out.

"It looked like he walked away from the scene," Schmidt said. No one was taken to a hospital, he added.

The fire started in the engine compartment.

"The specific cause hasn't been determined yet but it appears to be accidental in nature," Schmidt said.

Elgin police are investigating, but further detail was not available Friday evening.