Photo: Jon Manchester

A fire was sparked inside a van on Highway 97 Friday.

A vehicle fire on Highway 97 slowed southbound commuters Friday morning.

A man was driving his Dodge Caravan south on the highway, near Wood Lake, when an electrical fire in the passenger compartment was sparked, forcing him to pull over.

The man exited the vehicle without incident.

The Lake Country Fire Department attended the scene and quickly put the small blaze out.

Crews said the driver did the right thing by closing all the vehicle's windows and doors, limiting the oxygen inside.

The incident limited southbound traffic to one lane on the highway.  

- With files from Jon Manchester