The owner was driving east with his girlfriend in the car between 9 and 10 p.m. when the couple smelled smoke and saw flames. Thinking quickly, the young man parked immediately where he was — on First Avenue South, near the intersection with Ogden Avenue — and the two jumped out. He reportedly grabbed a fire extinguisher, but by that point, the car was practically engulfed.

When the vehicle exploded, people as far away as Soo Hill, Ford River and Pine Ridge claimed to have heard the blast. Smoke was visible from the Stonington Peninsula.

Dozens of people watched from nearby sidewalks as Escanaba Public Safety and others attacked and extinguished the fire. Gene’s Towing pulled the burnt frame onto a trailer, and responders shoveled up the sopping remnants of the interior, glass and more from the street.

Unlike the mythical phoenix, new life won’t be emerging from the ashes of this old bird.

The remains of a classic car have been loaded onto a tow truck as firefighters, the car's owner and area residents stand nearby after the Friday night fire. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

More details will appear in Monday’s Daily Press.