Vehicle fire on Route 8 north in Ansonia extinguished

ANSONIA — A stretch of Route 8 north was briefly closed Friday afternoon because of a vehicle fire, according to initial dispatch reports.

First responders in Ansonia got the call for a possible vehicle fire on Route 8 north, a little bit north of Exit 18, around 5:15 p.m.

Multiple people called 911 to report the incident. A first responder who said they had come across the fire while driving confirmed it was a working fire over the radio waves.

The first arriving unit confirmed a working fire in the vehicle’s engine compartment.

Firefighters quickly went to work, shutting down a lane of travel and starting to extinguish the flames. That soon expanded, and Route 8 north was shut down between Exit 18 and Exit 19 as crews worked to get the fire out.

Connecticut State Police also responded for the call and helped with lane closures.

By 5:45 p.m., the fire was out and the wrecker had the vehicle secured to tow from the highway. Fire units returned to service soon after.

State police reopened the highway by 5:50 p.m.