ANGOLA, IN (WTVB) – Police in Steuben County are looking for the driver of a vehicle that caught fire Thursday night while traveling on I-69 near Angola.
The Steuben County Sheriff’s Department says it was first reported that a vehicle was off the southbound side of the interstate at about 8:15 p.m. near the 347 mile marker and that it fully engulfed in flames.
Police found a 1997 Dodge Intrepid in a ditch when they arrived. They also found a man who was apparently a passenger on Golden Lake Road who had burns to his hands, face, chest and legs.
30-year-old Dale Mason of Angola was first taken to Cameron Hospital before being flown to a Fort Wayne hospital.
The driver fled the scene and could not be found even though the Orland Police Department’s K-9 was brought in to help with the search.
Police say according to witness statements, it appears the vehicle did not hit anything and caught fire for an unknown reason as it was traveling south.
The southbound lanes of I-69 were shut down for 45 minutes as Angola firefighters put out the flames and police investigated.
The crash remains under investigation by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office.
