Smoke could be seen for miles Sunday afternoon in Kalamazoo County when a truck parked behind a business in Portage caught fire.

It happened behind a building that is home to a few businesses on Sprinkle Rd. just south of Kilgore Rd near the Portage and Kalamazoo city line. The dark, black smoke first became noticeable at around 4:45 pm.

Upon entering the parking lot of the business, a truck behind the building was engulfed in flames near the rear of the vehicle. It looked like it had not been on fire for very long. It was parked against a tree line about 20 feet away from the building, but very close to the wooded area.

Google Satellite View


There were no fire crews or responders on the scene yet and due to the potential for explosion, we left after taking this photo zoomed in from a distance. There were other vehicles that had entered the parking lot, curious about the smoke and also leaving quickly once realizing it was a vehicle. Some people were on the phone with 9-1-1.

Kalamazoo County Central dispatch had no information to report as of 5:30 pm, but said that crews had been dispatched to the scene. There are very few details confirmed at this time. We will update if more information becomes available.