Car erupts in flames after driver hits deer on Minnesota highway

(NEXSTAR) – A motorist in Minnesota is thanking the officers, state troopers, firefighters and fellow drivers who came to her aid after her car erupted in flames following a collision with a deer.

The accident took place Wednesday morning along Hwy. 47 in Isanti County, according to the Isanti County Sheriff’s Department. The driver was able to leave the vehicle, a Dodge Journey, and retrieve her dog before the fire started.

“A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone that stopped to help,” the driver wrote on Facebook, after identifying herself in the comments section of a post shared by the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman said a “kind” fellow driver also helped remove her belongings from the car (before it caught fire), and added that one of the responding officers allowed her dog, Paisley, to sit in the squad car.

Photos from the scene of the accident show the car completely engulfed in flames in the middle of the highway. Police vehicles can also be seen blocking the road while a firefighter with the Diablo Fire Department battles the blaze.

Despite the scary scene, neither the driver nor her dog were injured. The deer, however, “did not survive,” the sheriff’s office said.