Driver Dave Davis said he put gas in the 1976 GMC Vandora and was attempting to start it when it caught fire at the Exxon station at Main and East Park Avenue.

His god-sister, Melinda Lough, who was standing just outside the vehicle, started screaming at him to get out. He jumped out, only to realize that his girlfriend's 4-year-old son was still in the back.

"I dove in and tried to go out the back door, but it was locked," he said.

Davis and the boy managed to scramble out with flames already visible through gaps in the floorboard.

"It was horrifying. I've never ever been that scared," Davis said. "I don't know how it didn't blow up."

Employees from the gas station shut down the pumps and hit the flaming engine with a fire extinguisher.

Durango Fire & Rescue Authority spokesman Dave Abercrombie said this kept it contained until firefighters arrived and gave it a thorough dousing.

"The employees did exactly what they should have done, helped keep it a fairly small fire until we were able to arrive," he said.

The RV had been leaking what Davis thought was transmission fluid but apparently was gas, Abercrombie said.

"When he tried to start the engine, it caught on fire," Abercrombie said.

As to the danger of a larger gas fire, he said, "anytime you've got a fire around a gas pump, there's danger, but I don't know there was any imminent danger."

Davis said the group was traveling in two vehicles from Flora Vista, N.M., to Silverton, where they planned to camp.

Bill Cox, the station's clerk, said he called 911 and turned off the pumps while others at the station fought the fire.

A fire engine parked in a northbound lane temporarily backed up traffic for blocks on Main.

Davis said the RV, which has been owned by Lough's family for decades, ran fine during a recent trip to Telluride, but it had been having problems during their drive Thursday.

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