A trip to get snow cones quickly changed from cool and refreshing to an emergency situation when a vehicle caught fire Monday afternoon.

As a mother, her three children plus a cousin were traveling down 2nd Street, returning from getting snow cones, the girls noticed a strange odor of gas before a flame shot up in the back of the van, according to one of the girls.  The mother quickly stopped the van and everyone got out safely at the corner of Avenue K and 2nd Street.

One of the girls did receive some singed hair on her leg and possible heat exposure from a flame that was near her leg before they were able to exit the van.  A Brownwood firefighter evaluated the child, who just needed ice bags to cool the skin which was briefly exposed to the flame.

The fire started in the back of the vehicle according to its occupants and eventually the front-end became involved.  BFD firefighters were able to put out the flames and a nearby vehicle was not damaged.

Brownwood Police Department also responded to the scene of the fire and controlled traffic while the fire was being extinguished.  Pictured above, the van in flames, below are BFD firefighters extinguishing the fire and evaluating the child that was exposed to the flame.