BELLE VERNON, Pa. -- Police in Belle Vernon said officers arrested a man who had no idea the van he was driving was on fire.
According to reports from the Southwest Regional Police Department, shortly after 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, police and fire crews were notified about a vehicle fire on Main Street in Belle Vernon.
As firefighters were en route to the scene, they spotted a burning 1993 Ford Econoline van traveling on Main Street.
"The van was smoking, left a big trail of smoke coming down the road," Belle Vernon Firefighter Joel Davis said.
Another firefighter "was running down the road, smacking the side of the van, trying to get him to stop," Davis said. "He wouldn't stop for nothing."
The van was filling with smoke and flames were coming from the engine, but the driver still made his way past the local police station and the fire department, Davis said.
"Ended up trying to stop him three times. Tried ramming my vehicle twice," Davis said. "On the third time, he must have put the vehicle in neutral and was smashing the gas."
After the fire crew finally got the driver's attention, the van pulled over near the ramps from Main Street to Route 70.
"We got out, grabbed him out of the van and told him, 'Hey, your van's on fire, what's your problem?' He didn't know where he was. Didn't know nothing," Davis said.
While firefighters worked on the blaze, police officers investigated why the driver was traveling with the van on fire.
An officer questioned Carl Franklin Miller Jr., 47, of North Charleroi, and suspected him of driving under the influence.
"He felt the operator was driving while intoxicated. The operator was placed under arrest and taken to Mon Valley Hospital, where blood was drawn," Police Chief John Dale Hartman said.
Miller was also treated in the hospital for injuries he suffered in the fire.
No DUI charges had been filed against Miller as of Wednesday afternoon. Police are waiting for results of the blood test.
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