Car fire — even in the rain — slows traffic on Cuesta Grade

Local highways see their fair share of vehicle crashes when it rains in San Luis Obispo County. But a different kind of incident slowed traffic on a rainy Cuesta Grade on Wednesday afternoon: a car fire.

A red Ford Focus caught fire in its engine compartment, briefly shutting down the far-right lane of northbound Highway 101 near the Cuesta Grade, according to the CHP.

Cal Fire said engines responded to the blaze at 2:38 p.m., and firefighters were able to fully contain it in about 15 minutes.

Caltrans helped navigate drivers away from the far-right lane as a tow truck worked to move the car, which was parked on the shoulder.

The lane was closed for about 20 minutes, the CHP said.

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Car fire — even in the rain — slows traffic on Cuesta Grade."