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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jeep burns, then opens fire

From staff reports

Interstate 90 west of Spokane resembled a war zone briefly Saturday afternoon after a Jeep caught fire and hunting ammunition on board began to explode.

The driver, Ray Krause, said he noticed smoke in his rearview mirror coming from the back of his Jeep and pulled over about 2:45 p.m. west of Four Lakes.

Krause, of Cut Bank, Mont., said he is moving to Othello and was transporting a cat, a boat, guns and other items to Washington in his 2000 Jeep Cherokee. “All I had time to do was go back, grab a couple of things and the cat, and it was over,” he said.

Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy B.A. Garrett said that when he arrived on scene it was clear his small extinguisher wouldn’t slow the fire, which engulfed the Jeep. Garrett said he closed the roadway when shotgun shells started exploding, breaking glass, sending shrapnel into the air and starting two small grass fires in the median. He said he heard about three dozen rounds go off.

“This could have been deadly,” Garrett said.

Krause, who said he’d moved most of his possessions last week, was treated at the scene for a burn on his arm from when he pulled items from the Jeep. No other injuries were reported.

Firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 3 extinguished the blaze, which started near the fuel tank. The cause is under investigation, said District 3 Deputy Chief Brian Anderson.

Westbound lanes were shut for about 45 minutes, Garrett said.

About three miles to the east, slowing cars caused a three-vehicle collision when a driver did not brake fast enough, Anderson said. No serious injuries were reported in that crash.