Jackson, MO couple details minutes leading up to car fire

JACKSON, MO (KFVS) - A Jackson, Missouri couple said a truck fire happened so quickly, that it could have cost them their lives.

Jessie and Wilma Mills were driving home from a campground in Greenville on Sunday when Jessie said he looked in his rear view mirror and saw flames.

"I don't have no idea what happened," Jessie said. "I don't know all I know was it was on fire and it was a scary deal."

Jessie Mills first saw the flames coming from the back of his Dodge Ram pickup, and it took his wife Wilma just seconds to realize the danger.

"I said, 'Stop this truck,'" Wilma said. "He slammed the breaks on it and we opened the doors and out we went."

Video taken with a cell phone showed the car in flames and making loud cracking noises.

Just a short time after the couple jumped out of the truck, the truck became engulfed in flames.

"I stood there and it sound like I was back in Vietnam or somewhere, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

The truck was a total loss. They managed to save this Bible and are glad their new camper had just minor damage.

Through it all, the couple said they're thankful to be alive.

"I'm just glad we got out," Wilma said. "I hate that we lost our trunk and our camping stuff and everything, but we got out without lives."

"That ol' trunk can be replaced, but I can't replace her," Jessie said jokingly pointing to his wife.

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