Fire towers over Harbison Denny’s panicking drivers, passerby

A truck that caught fire parked behind the Denny’s Diner on Harbison Boulevard on Monday gave the impression to drivers that the restaurant was on fire.

The fire, which started shortly after 4 p.m., did not threaten any neighboring buildings, said Capt. Brick Lewis, spokesman for the Columbia Fire Department.

The truck was actually about three to four buildings away from Denny’s on Saturn Parkway, Lewis said. To passerby, it could have looked like the Walmart right behind the restaurant was on fire, too, he said.

Saturn Parkway is a small secondary road that connects Harbison Boulevard to Bower Parkway. It runs in between the Best Buy and Walmart on Harbison Boulevard.

By 4:30 p.m., there were no visible flames coming from the truck, but it was still smouldering, Lewis said.

This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Fire towers over Harbison Denny’s panicking drivers, passerby."