GREENPORT — A custom-built replica of a classic roadster was destroyed by fire in the Fairview Plaza on Friday afternoon, Greenport Fire Chief John Onufrychuk Jr. said.
The car exploded when the flames reached the gas tank as Greenport Fire Department was arriving on the scene, Onufrychuk said.
No injuries were reported, Onufrychuk said.
The driver, an unidentified man of 40, from Philmont, and his son were traveling through the plaza near CVS Pharmacy at about 12:29 p.m., when smoke began to pour from the engine, Greenport First Assistant Chief Mark Taylor said.
The man stopped the car as flames became visible from under the hood, Taylor said. The man grabbed the boy and some personal possessions and ran away from the burning car.
When the car exploded, the flames came within a few feet of reaching a state police cruiser on the scene.
The trooper, who was in his car at the time, moved it away quickly, Taylor said.
The roadster replica was made of fiberglass, which burned quickly, Taylor said. Once the fire was out, there was not much left of the vehicle.
The man’s son told firefighters the car that burned was his favorite, Taylor said. They gave the boy a teddy bear and a plastic firefighter’s helmet.
Shoppers in the plaza watched the fire from a safe distance.
Greenport Police investigated. They were assisted by state police. The car was towed from the scene.