Marshall Fire Department received a phone call about 5:45 p.m. in reference to a vehicle fire in the country, northwest of Nelson.

"It took us a while to get there," said Assistant Fire Chief Tony Day.

When firefighters arrived on the scene near County Road 216 and 225, they discovered a 1983 Cadillac Deville, owned and driven by John Parish of Marshall, involved in flames down a "mud" road in a field, according to Day.

Day said the two fire trucks responding to the scene were unable to get to the vehicle due to a bridge that would be risky to cross.

"It wasn't rated and it was a very, very old bridge," Day said. To get to the scene of the fire, Day drove a 4WD pickup, which was carrying a small tank and small pump in the back, down to the vehicle.

"We typically use this to put out grass fires," Day said. The pickup had to make a couple of trips back to the tanker truck to refill the small tank.

Day said the small tank pumps about five gallons per minute versus a fire truck that pumps 95 gallons per minute.

"It took us a little longer to put the fire out," Day said.

Day said it appeared the Cadillac went down the "mud" road and then decided to turn around. When the car was pulled into the cornfield to attempt to turn around, it got stuck. In efforts to get it out, the car just sank further into the ground. Day said the heat of the exhaust pipe most likely ignited the corn shucks and in return set the car on fire.

Parish had to walk to wherever he made the phone call for help, Day said.

He said the gas tank didn't appear to have exploded prior or during the event. However, there was an eight- to 10-foot flame coming out of the gas tank opening into the air. Day said the fire had melted the plastic cap off the gas tank fill area and the gas fumes venting from the neck of the tank caused the stream of fire.

Day said, "It was definitely something different." The crew arrived back at the fire station at 7:29 p.m.

Contact Rachel Harper at marshallcity@socket.net