Sarah Miller

A 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup truck was engulfed in flames at about 4:10 a. m. Friday morning at Deerfield Apartments.

The Mount Pleasant Fire Department said the fire started toward the back of the truck and the cause is unknown.

“We did investigate it a little bit and couldn’t find anything that started it,” said fire and rescue officer Ken Drouse.

The truck is owned by Traverse City junior Nicholas Rademaker, a former CMU football player, and caught on fire at Deerfield Apartments, 3526 E. Deerfield Road.

Drouse said it took the department about 30 minutes to put out the fire and the flames escalated most likely because of the gas tank.

“The gas tank melted and caught on fire,” he said. “That’s probably why it looked big for a little while.”

Drouse said it is not normal for a vehicle to start on fire unless there has been a recall on that certain model.

“It’s not under investigation anymore,” Drouse said. “They couldn’t determine (the cause).”

Check cm-life. com for more updates.

E-mail the author: Mike Wayland