Traffic on the Southbound side of the Wilbur Cross Parkway was at a standstill around 5 p.m.
Gray smoke rose in the distance and flames lapped up the dry grass on the hill about a quarter mile from Exit 55 in Milford.
As I inched closer, I noticed a flurry of activity while a half dozen men rushed around two wrecked vehicles, a cargo van that was tilting to the side and a small car with an accordioned front end, which sat at the base of the hill with flames surrounding them.
The civilians, none with protective gear — no emergency crews had arrived yet — were shoveling sand and dirt over the fire licking the cars using only their hands. Screams of “Help Me” could be heard over the commotion, but was it a helper or someone in one of the vehicles?
A dozen or more cars stopped along the road after the accident, some of them abandoned, others with worried-looking girlfriends or wives holding their hands over their mouths in terror.
Passersby, like me, grabbed their cell phones and called 911 only to be told “Crews are on the way.”
The Red Flag Day warning that’s been prominent in the region is no joke, the wind helped sweep the flames up the hill and it spread quickly, adding to the chaos.
I hope no one was hurt. This accident offered opportunities for all sorts of terrible things.
UPDATE: The road was closed for about an hour, and, according to sources, no injuries were reported. Unbelievable.