Fatal car fire after driver tries to avoid downed power line

A driver who tried to go around cones marking a downed power line in New Jersey was killed Thursday morning when the car burst into flames, according to reports.

Police in Franklin Lakes responded about 9 a.m. to Summit Avenue near Route 208, where they found the car fully engulfed in flames next to the fallen wire, NorthJersey.com reported.

“It appears the driver drove around the cones that we put to block the roadway because the wire was down,” police Capt. John Bakelaar told the news outlet.

The victim was not immediately identified, and the accident remained under investigation.

There were reports of downed wires across Bergen County, where police have warned residents to stay off the roads while snow from Wednesday’s storm is plowed, according to Patch.