Car fire temporarily shuts 2 lanes on Highway 101

Two lanes of Highway 101 near Petaluma Boulevard South were shut down for a about a half hour Saturday afternoon when a car became engulfed in flames.

The driver was northbound on Highway 101 and Petaluma Boulevard South when he noticed smoke coming from his 2006 BMW and pulled over, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Officer David de Rutte said.

The car caught fire shortly after, de Rutte said, and the driver was able to escape without injuries.

The fire was first reported at 2:34 p.m. on Saturday, with highway patrol and the fire department arriving to the scene by 2:45, de Rutte said.

Officers shut the middle lane for 15 minutes and the right lane for 30 minutes.

Roads were fully opened before 3:20 p.m. while officers awaited a tow truck to pick up the car.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.