Solon Police Cruiser Catches Fire Outside School

SOLON, OH — A Solon police cruiser caught fire while parked outside Orchard Middle School on Monday morning. No one was hurt during the blaze.

The fire started at 8:42 a.m., police said. The car was parked in the Orchard Middle School lot while an officer attended routine security patrols at the school.

The cruiser, a Ford Explorer, was parked away from other cars in the southeast corner of the parking lot. The vehicle was locked and not running, police said.

The officer was inside the school when he realized the cruiser was on fire. Students at Orchard Middle School were moved to the gym area, away from the fire. Police said on social media there were concerns with ammunition inside the cruiser "exploding."

The Solon fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. Investigators are still looking into what caused the fire, but police said they do not suspect criminal activity.

No one was hurt from the fire and no damage, outside of the police cruiser, occurred. The cruiser was totaled and will be turned over to insurance inspectors for review, a police spokesperson told Patch.