Van Burst Into Flames on JFK St.

A van burst into flames and shut down two blocks of John F. Kennedy St. for about half an hour this morning.

Cambridge fire fighters had doused the flames by 9:30 a.m., and the van had been removed and traffic moving again by 10 a.m.

Joseph Scipeck, who identified himself as the driver of the van, said he didn't know the cause of the fire, which he said started around 9:10 a.m. while he was parking outside Peet's Coffee.

"I was just parking and smoke began coming out of the van," Scipeck said. "Everybody started yelling at me to jump out because flames were shooting up from the bottom."

Scipeck added that he was shaken up but "happy I didn't blow up or anything."

--Joshua J. Kearney contributed to the reporting of this story.

--Staff writer Clifford M. Marks can be reached at cmarks@fas.harvard.edu.


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