Minnesota onlookers chuck snow as car collides with an SUV and bursts into flame as driver tries and fails to escape the flames

The Minneapolis area saw slippery conditions amid snowstorms in December 2025, and one wreck in particular took more twists and turns than a Hollywood movie — or as one post put it, there’s “a lot to unpack.”

According to social media, the wreck happened on December 8, 2025, when a red 2-door hatchback collided with an SUV in Fridley, Minnesota, near Minneapolis. Highway safety cameras captured what happened next, as the hatchback engine caught fire.

Onlookers stopped to help, and, unsure of what to do, they begin picking up snow from the side of the road and tossing it at the burning car to try and put the fire out. The video spread online amid reports of snowy conditions causing car wrecks in the area.

The SUV’s attempted escape

Eventually, the SUV driver takes matters into their own hands and tries to disengage their vehicle from their rear bumper. Unable to, the SUV driver hops out and joins in, tossing handfuls of snow on the fire. It’s unclear what happens next, but with so many bystanders there to help, someone presumably called 911, and hopefully no one got hurt, and the accident caused just the burning car and the SUV with a wrecked rear fender.

One comment noted, “That’s a wild scene!! How the hell do you get detached?!?! At some point you just have to get out and say f—k it and hope the other driver has insurance!”

Another said, “A real-life action movie moment! Chaos, fire, quick-thinking heroes, and snow, Fridley never disappoints.”

The bystanders were just trying to help, but a car engine fire is a dangerous situation, and safety experts warn that throwing water — including snow — into the engine compartment is not an effective or safe way to extinguish the flames. Snow melts instantly on hot metal, creating scalding steam that can cause burns, and the resulting water can spread burning gasoline or oil, making the fire worse.

Even if the flames appear to die down, hidden hot spots can reignite. The safest immediate response is to pull over, shut off the engine, get everyone out of the vehicle, and move a safe distance away while calling 911.

Officials say motorists should only attempt to fight a fire if it is very small and they have a proper Class B or ABC extinguisher on hand. Even then, the hood should be opened only slightly to avoid feeding the flames with oxygen.

Water, snow, and improvised materials are strongly discouraged, and retrieving belongings from a burning vehicle is considered a significant hazard.