No injuries were reported when an SUV traveling on Highway 71 caught fire Saturday afternoon, south of Atlantic.

(Photo courtesy Brad and Chris Petersen, of Cumberland)

Atlantic Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the scene about two-miles south of town, at around 2:55-p.m.  Deputies arriving on location prior to the fire department noted the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, but Chris Johnson and his two girls, from Wiota, were outside and safe.

Witnesses say during the blaze, one of the SUV’s tires exploded and shot about 50-feet into the air. Firefighters returned to their base at around 3:40-p.m.