From Staff Reports

No injuries were reported Saturday when a van caught fire and exploded at the Blaney Drag Strip in Elgin in Kershaw County.

The vehicle, owned by a North Augusta man, had towed a race car to the dragstrip for races being held Saturday, said John Potter, chief of Elgin’s Blaney Fire Department.

The van somehow caught fire about 4:30 p.m., he said. Gasoline cans and a battery were stored in the back of the van, but it wasn’t clear what started the fire.

No one was inside the van when firefighters arrived, Potter said. The car then van had towed had been unloaded.

No other vehicles were damaged, Potter said, but the van was destroyed. At one point, he said, firefighters almost had the blaze put out, but one of the gas containers turned over and fed the fire again.