photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical firefighters examine a car that was smoking on North Second Street in North Lawrence on July 7, 2026.

Emergency crews responded Monday evening to a car fire that diverted traffic in North Lawrence.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical spokesperson McKenzi Ezell told the Journal-World that at 5:21 p.m., there was a two-car accident on North Second Street, and one of the cars caught fire in its engine compartment. Ezell said seven firefighters responded to the scene and that they were able to get the fire under control within five minutes.

One person suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, Ezell said; nobody was taken to the hospital.

The car near the intersection of North Second Street and North Street was still smoking and firefighters were still on the scene around 5:30 p.m. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical crews surrounded the smoking remnants of the vehicle, which was parked in the center turning lane.

The incident had caused traffic along North Second Street to be rerouted by Lawrence Police Department officers. Multiple police cruisers were stationed to block northbound traffic at Lyon Street, and two police cars blocked southbound traffic just before the incident, directing drivers to bypass the area through nearby parking lots.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence-Douglas County firefighters surround a car that appeared to have caught fire on July 7, 2026.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical vehicles flash their lights at the scene of an apparent car fire that occured in North Lawrence on July 7, 2026.