A car belonging to a Brown graduate student caught fire in front of Faunce House on Waterman Street shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday.
While Providence city firefighters were extinguishing the fire, the burning vehicle rolled forward into a parked car belonging to two sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, who were attending an event in Faunce House.
The car, a red Audi 4000, belonged to Faith Model GS, who was driving back to campus from Boston and noticed smoke and the smell of burning plastic as she crossed Prospect Street. She had pulled over on Waterman when she saw flames coming from the dashboard. She jumped out of the car and went to call police.
"It's unfortunate that I don't have a car anymore, but at least no one was hurt," Model said.
According to Sgt. Stephen St. Jean of the Brown Department of Public Safety at the scene, campus police "responded to a fire in progress," but were unable to put out the fire with five handheld extinguishers. They then called the Providence city authorities, who dispatched a police cruiser and a fire engine.
St. Jean said he did not know what started the fire, though another officer present said he suspected the wiring in the dashboard had caused the blaze.
"I feel bad for these guys, too," Model said of the sisters, whose car sustained minor damage from its collision with the burning vehicle.
"There is not too much damage," said Phi Uong, one of the sisters.
Officers at the scene said the car was to be towed.
