Red Bank volunteer firefighters quickly extinguished a car fire that occurred near St. James School shortly before the start of classes Wednesday morning.

The driver, working for Uber, told redbankgreen he was about to pick up a customer when his Honda sedan caught fire on Peters Place, just a few hundred feet west of the school.

He got out of the car without injury.

Fire Chief Wayne Hartman said the fire, reported at about 7:15 a.m., originated at the vehicle’s battery. Firefighters contained the blaze before it could extend to the passenger compartment, he said.

By 7:30 a.m., emergency personnel were clearing the scene so the school could conduct student dropoffs. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

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